


Dusk Till Dawn

by LindsayIsTheCraic



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Heavy Angst, Kidnapping, Missing Persons, Mystery, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, art professor!marcus, delinquents are college students, doctor!abby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-09 02:24:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15257334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LindsayIsTheCraic/pseuds/LindsayIsTheCraic
Summary: Four lights—all doomed to fade. The first goes out after a bright burst before silencing into darkness. The second goes out; but slowly, as the darkness slips in. The third goes out, but not without a fight. It holds onto its last flicker of hope before the darkness overpowers it. The fourth is still lit but the darkness is waiting. For when its dusk till dawn, no light is safe.





	1. Don’t let anything slip away from your attention, even the tiniest little detail

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go again !!!! I've been working on this story for over a year, and I'm really excited to finally share it! Hopefully, I do it justice !
> 
> Lets see how clever we can get,,,,
> 
> All the love,  
> Lindsay :)
> 
> ps- weekly updates on Wednesdays!

“I’m surprised you haven’t submitted a picture of your mug yet.”

“Are you judging me?”

“No,” Clarke laughed, “I just _know_ you have pictures of that mug set up, how do we say it now-a-days, aesthetically?”

Marcus didn’t dignify her with an answer. No answer was just as bad as giving her an answer. Marcus knew that. He just didn’t want to admit that he _did_ indeed have pictures of his infamous mug on his camera set up in “aesthetically pleasing” views.

What could he say? He _was_ a sucker for the arts.

Sticking with his choice of not answering, he just tipped the mug up to his lips to take a long sip of his coffee, raising his eyebrows at her. It made her laugh.

“You know,” she told him, “I bet you could win a contest if you did.”

“Who’s to say I haven’t already?” He challenged her, his tone serious.

She looked over to him at that instant and stopped in her footsteps. He kept walking however, glancing back at her after he got a few steps ahead. He winked at her, turning his attention back to in front of him.

Clarke jogged slightly to catch back up with her art professor. “Have you?” She asked, curiosity blossoming through her. She _really_ doubted that Marcus’ Zootopia coffee mug had won a photography contest. The mug contained Nick and Judy, with the words, “It’s called a hustle, sweetheart” inscribed across it.

Marcus may have peculiar taste when it came to his coffee mugs, but he was a brilliant artist. Photography with editing effects into the pictures was one of his favorite hobbies. His main passion was watercolor painting.

He, however, was not always an artist. He recently came to Arkadia University five years ago to teach art after he retired from the law enforcement. Marcus loved serving the people as chief, but due to injury, he had to retire.

It was a sad day for Marcus when he left the police force, but he left it in good hands. His good friend and old partner, Indra, was chief now.

If he was honest with himself, part of him was glad to retire. Now, he was able to pursue a life time dream. And that dream was to paint, and to teach art, and to get lost in the world of creativity.

And if that included his favorite mug being mocked by all his students, then so be it.

Marcus titled the mug towards her and replied, “I guess you’ll never know.”

Rolling her eyes, the two fell silent as a fall wind brushed by them. Leaves were falling from the trees they were passing by, and he saw Clarke analyzing the path they fell down. It was something he caught her doing a lot.

She would be with you one moment, lost in the world the next. It wasn’t a bad thing. She was losing herself in the beauty of the world, analyzing it, sketching it in her mind, figuring out ways she could transfer that beauty onto paper.

Clarke was a prodigy.

Marcus had seen some talented kids in his classes, but he never had a Clarke Griffin before. The girl knew how to draw.

The curves of her pencil were precise, the shading was blended just right, and the pictures always seemed to pop off the paper. When she added color to her artwork, it screamed real life. The pieces were vibrant with life.

She was truly one of a kind.

This was his second year having Clarke in his classes, making her a sophomore at Arkadia University. Not only was she a prodigy with a pencil and sketch paper, she was a prodigy on Arkadia’s women’s soccer team.

As a freshman, she started 21 out of 23 games. As a forward, she tallied up the third most goals on the team for that season. She scored the winning goals in both the semi and final rounds of their conference tournament, giving them their spot in the NCAA tournament.

Whichever she decided to pursue, Marcus knew she would excel in it.

“Excited about the art exhibit this Sunday?” He asked her.

She smiled brightly, looking to him. “Hell yeah!” She exclaimed.

He smiled back and took another drink of his coffee. On Sunday, Marcus was going to hold a small art exhibit for Clarke at the university. He believed she deserved one with her talent, and as he told her, it would be great practice for the future.

“I’m nervous too,” she admitted. His smile grew the slightest in understanding. She continued on, “It’s just a big deal, you know? Besides the obvious. My mom will be there and she’s never really seen my work showcased like this. The most it’s been showcased is from being hung on the fridge.”

Marcus laughed, imagining Clarke’s latest sketch of an Eden tree sprouting up from the ground through the aftermath of a nuclear war. The meaning behind it was hardly dinner table talk.

“I’m sure your mother will love it,” he told her.

“Oh I know she will,” Clarke replied. “I think she’s more nervous than me! And I’m _nervous_!”

Marcus offered her a smile of comfort this time. He said, “Just tell her I have everything under control. From what you’ve told me…her expectations are high.”

Clarke shook her head. “Her bark is worse than her bite,” she assured him. She paused for a moment, thinking, then added on, “Most of the time.”

“Wow,” he replied dryly, “that’s reassuring.”

She laughed in response and shrugged. “It depends on the matter,” she explained. “You remember the time I told you she flipped her shit when my dad didn’t cut my grilled cheese the right way? And how she didn’t say a thing when he accidentally sucked my homework up in the vacuum?”

Marcus remembered those stories well. When they were in class working on projects, Marcus usually went around to each student and would talk with them as they worked through their project if they wished. Marcus had learned a lot about Clarke’s mother.

Clarke furthered explained, “It was probably because I was four when my dad cut it wrong and I cried my eyes out. And then when he sucked up my algebra homework I couldn’t have cared less since I got out of it. I guess it depends on how serious I take it.”

“So, what you’re saying is,” Marcus came to a conclusion, “is that I’m screwed if you show any small sign of concern?”

Clarke gave it a thought and looked to him, shrugging, saying, “Probably.”

Marcus took a long drink of his coffee, finishing it off. “No pressure,” he sighed into the fall air.

“Oh, it’ll be fine,” Clarke tried shaking off his worry. “Nothing will happen. Everything will be per-”

Squealing tires cut her off as the two looked up to see a car speeding out of the school parking lot. The smell of burning rubber entered the air and Marcus’ nose scrunched up in disgust. He opened his mouth to comment on the car but a piece of paper hit him in the face.

He peeled the paper off his cheek and looked down to it. There were four lines scribbled on it, the handwriting eerily familiar. The sweet smell of baked bread emitted from it as well.

Clarke looked over to it and asked, “What is it?”

Marcus looked to her and shrugged, letting her read it as he did. He told her, “I believe it’s a poem.”

She nodded in agreement as she read it. “Kinda dark,” was her only comment. Looking at her watch, she apologized to Marcus, “Sorry, Marcus. I’ve gotta rush over to the library for a study session with Raven. I’ll see you in class tomorrow!”

He waved to her as she ran off to her car. He went his own way to his car, shoving the piece of paper in his coat pocket. He hiked up the collar in hopes of protecting his ears from the nippy fall air.

He finally made it to his car and got inside. Setting his coffee mug in the cup holder, he turned the car on to get the heat going. Slowly, he pulled the piece of paper back out. He smoothed it out against the wheel and rested it there. He read it over again, the poem reading:

_She is whisked away in the darkness,_   
_never to see the light again._   
_For she is the key_   
_to the demise of another’s light._


	2. Now, let’s go get one wrap closer to my goal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the titles may seem like they don't make sense, but i promise they do :) question is: can you figure out how?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at the beginning of summer, i made a trailer for this book ! It's linked below if anyone would like to watch it !!!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm7Ily2EWxI

“Raven! Slot it!”

Hearing Clarke’s call, Raven passed the ball “across the grain” as their coach liked to put it. All it meant was that Raven played the ball in the opposite direction in which she was dribbling.

The ball split the two defenders, going right into Clarke’s run. Taking her first touch behind the two defenders further, she isolated herself with the opposing goalie. Lining up her shot, she kicked the ball slightly on the outside and underneath, giving it an inward spin.

The ball had enough speed and curve to evade the goalie’s hands, finding its way into the back of the net.

The shrill of the whistle signaled the end of the small sided game. Raven ran over and high-fived Clarke, telling her, “Nice run! Let’s repeat that tomorrow against Polis!”

“And hopefully,” a new voice broke in, “you won’t repeat your dive last year against Polis.”

The two turned to see Gaia approaching, a smirk adorning her lips. Gaia had transferred from Polis University to Arkadia University in the spring. The dive she was referring to was a tackle between her and Raven last time the two teams met.

Gaia had the ball and was dribbling down the field, Raven being the defender on her side. The two had been at each other’s throats all game; each had a yellow card for tackling the other. The only up Raven had on Gaia was that the score was 2-1, favoring Arkadia.

Raven knew how to taunt forwards, getting their mind unfocused, giving her the opportunity to slide in and steal the ball. Gaia was different though. She bit back, sometimes harder than Raven.

As Gaia dribbled and the two got into a tackle, Raven got over confident and dove in. Gaia easily spun off her, and advanced to a 1v1 with their goalie, Octavia. Easily being the best player on Polis, she scored effortlessly.

It was the goal that tied the game and ended the game in a tie.

Raven rolled her eyes and told her, “It won’t matter if I do because they lost their only player who was worth a shit. Octavia has my back, don’t you?”

Octavia was taking her gloves off, raising an eyebrow at her. “Just don’t fuck me over again and we’re good,” was her response.

The group laughed as Lexa jogged over to them. She slung an arm around Clarke’s shoulders, pulling her close. She asked Gaia, “Can’t you just let that go? She _is_ your teammate now.”

Crossing her arms, Gaia responded, “Exactly. I have to make sure my teammate doesn’t screw up.”

Raven copied Lexa, doing to the same to Gaia. She told her, “You’d really think I’d let you down? Against _them_?” She added in a head rub, Gaia swatting her hand away. “We’re going to _crush_ them this year!”

The other girls hollered in agreement as practice that morning officially ended. Everyone was hyped for the game tomorrow. They were versing Polis University, their biggest rival. Besides being in-state rivals, the two competed against each other in conference play.

The players got into it, hence the history between Gaia and Raven. The fans got into it, hence why the bleachers were packed at each home field with a few cops littered around the complex for precaution. The whole state of Indiana got into it, hence why the game is always broadcasted on ESPN.

Clarke’s eyes wandered to where Raven was walking with Gaia, her arm still around the girl’s shoulders. She was telling her something about the wrap she was going to order for lunch today. Despite the rivalry between the teams and those two specifically, the two become inseparable when Gaia transferred.

After the field was cleaned up, the girls made their way to the locker room. Sitting in their respective lockers, they proceeded to take off their soccer gear to get ready for the school day.

“How’s the planning for the art exhibit going?” Lexa asked as she untied her cleats.

Clarke was taking her socks off as she smiled to herself. Anytime anyone mentioned the art exhibit, she felt giddy like a five year old who was allowed to lick the brownie batter bowl clean. “Great,” she replied, “I’m finalizing the details with Marcus today in class.”

Lexa smiled over to her and told her, “I can’t wait to _finally_ see all your artwork.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, but also felt nerves spike up at Lexa’s words. Clarke never let anyone see her artwork until they were fully finished, besides Marcus. Even after, they would have to wait awhile before seeing it. When she found out that Marcus was going to put an art exhibit together for her, she told everyone they couldn’t see her artwork until then.

It had been months since Clarke found out she was getting one. You could tell where Lexa’s impatience was coming from.

Just like the reason with her mother, her friends had never seen her artwork displayed before. Sure, she drew small things here and there, hanging them in the apartment, but they had never seen a drawing she spent a month on, perfecting every detail.

Especially, since one of those drawings was a portrait she drew of her girlfriend, Lexa.

It was of one of her favorite pictures of Lexa. They were on a date freshman year at a pumpkin patch, sitting in the fields. Clarke had made her a crown out of yellow and orange leaves. Lexa had put it on and laughed when she saw her reflection. Clarke snapped the right picture at the right moment.

One of the projects in Marcus’ class was a portrait of someone else, it didn’t matter what style the art was. Clarke chose a color pencil sketch. It wasn’t a hard decision to choose that picture.

“I know there’s one drawing you’ll either hate me or love me for,” Clarke responded.

Rolling her eyes, Lexa put her cleats away in her bag. “You already know I’ll love it,” she said.

Clarke shrugged as they finished getting their gear off. As they exited the locker room and walked towards their cars, Raven asked the group, “Lunch down in Jefferson today?”

The group agreed and Raven did a silent celebration. Gaia rolled her eyes at her, saying, “You realize we eat there _every_ Thursday, right?”

Spinning her lanyard around her finger, Raven replied, “Yes, _but_ I’m making sure in case anyone suddenly wants to eat somewhere else.”

“The food down in Mibler is shit,” Octavia commented, her face contorting into disgust.

“I agree,” Lexa added in. “Last week I got a burger there and all I’ll say is the toilet became my best friend for two days.”

Everyone’s face followed suit of Octavia’s. “Alright,” Raven waved off the comment, “so Jefferson it is! I’ve made it my goal this semester to try every wrap they have there.”

“So,” Gaia interrupted, “ _that’s_ why you want to make sure we eat there?”

Raven’s cheeks flushed the tiniest bit but it was enough for the group to notice. They all laughed as she stumbled over a response for a minute. Stomping a bit to walk ahead of the group in a pout, she threw back over her shoulder, “I figured you all would want to see me accomplish my goal!”

“One wrap a day?” Gaia thought aloud. “That’s nothing. Now, if you tried to eat their whole menu in one setting…I’d be up for sitting through that.”

“Challenge accepted!” Raven announced as she made it to Clarke’s car. Raven didn’t have a car on campus, neither did Octavia. The two usually caught a ride with Clarke, Lexa, or Gaia.

Clarke had a Ford Escape, colored dark cherry red. Raven liked to refer it as “Candy Apple” due to its color, so Clarke named it that.

As Clarke unlocked the car and made her way to the driver side, she waved goodbye to the other girls. She opened her car door and moved to hop inside, but a piece of paper flapping in her mirror caught her attention. It seemed to have flown into the crack between the mirror and casing around it.

She pulled it out and looked at it. There were a few lines scribbled onto it:

_The darkness knows no boundaries,_   
_it knows no sympathy._   
_It snatches everyone and anyone,_   
_who dares crosses its path._   
_No matter how much light,_   
_the darkness always overcomes it._

“What’s that?”

Clarke looked up from the poem and to Raven, who was seated in the passenger seat. She was leaning over the console, trying to look at it. Clarke stuffed it in her pocket and said, “Nothing. Just a piece of paper that got stuck in my mirror.”

“Damn litter bugs,” Raven mumbled, settling back into her seat.

Clarke climbed inside and shut her door, turning the car on. Instantly, she felt a creep seep its way up her spine. Nerves exploded through her and she locked the car doors. She looked at the girls out of the corner of her eyes, but neither seemed to notice her sudden shift of mood.

Letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, she searched the area around her car. Lexa had just left the parking lot and Gaia was still climbing into her car. Nothing seemed out of place in the complex, so why did she have an eerie feeling?

On cue, the note in her pocket felt like deadweight. The lines flashed across her eyes again, as did the poem Marcus and her read yesterday. The eerie feeling grew as she looked over the parking lot once more.

She put her car into drive and exited the parking lot behind Gaia. Her eyes darted everywhere, looking for anything that may be off. She came up blank, much to her relief. She relaxed back into her seat as she turned out of the complex.

Raven turned her radio on, the song _Slow Hands_ blasting in the car. “Oh yeah!” Raven yelled. She began to dance in the car, serenading Clarke.

Clarke rolled her eyes and laughed as she pulled up to a red light. Raven grabbed her umbrella from her backpack and continued to sing to her, “Cause I want ya bad.” She pointed at her, shaking her shoulders.

Clarke laughed more as Raven winked and sang the next line, “Yeah I want ya baby! SLOW, SLOW HANDS!” She raised her arms in the arm, swinging her head around. “LIKE SWEAT DRIPPING DOWN OUR DIRTY LAUNDRY.”

Raven whipped her head to look at Octavia, who was recording the performance on her phone. She raised her finger and shook it, singing, “NO, NO CHANCE!” She took her free hand and ran it down her body. “THAT I’M LEAVING HERE WITHOUT YOU ON ME.”

The two being serenaded burst into another fit of laughter as the light turned green. Clarke inched forward, waiting for her moment to turn left. Raven kept at it, tapping her head while looking at Clarke, singing, “I, I KNOW!” She took her hand and repeatedly pushed it out in front of her like a traffic cop while shaking her head. “YEAH, I ALREADY KNOW THAT THERE AINT NO STOPPING.”

Raven proceeded to point at Clarke as she turned, singing the last lines of the chorus, “Your plans and those,” she rested her hand on top of Clarke’s as she finished the turn for the song’s short pause, “slow hands. WOO!”

Having screamed the last part completely off key, Raven earned another burst of laughter from the two. Raven head banged to the beat until the next verse started, but she retired early, putting her umbrella away. She sighed as she sat back, saying, “If that song doesn’t get you in the Polis ass kicking mood, I don’t know what will.”

“Perfect snapchat story,” Octavia commented as she finished filming.

Raven looked back to her and then back to the front. “I better not get into any more social media bullshit trouble for that.”

“I think you singing _Slow Hands_ and saying ‘Polis ass kicking’ is a bit different than publicly tweeting a parent of a player, ‘maybe you would’ve won if your daughter focused more on soccer than crushing her medication pills and snorting them’,” Clarke commented.

Octavia laughed from the back seat, remembering the tweet. “That was _brutal_ ,” was her only comment as she laughed to herself a bit more.

Raven rolled her eyes and explained, mimicking the lady in a high pitched voice, “ _Maybe_ she shouldn’t have come at our program, calling us ‘spoiled brats’ who ‘get everything they want because they paid the refs off’.”

“Plus,” she added, “it’s not like I was lying. There _was_ evidence of it.”

Octavia laughed even harder. She was the one who had found the video online, it hiding on the girl’s private Instagram account. “Best stalking decision I ever made,” she said through her laughter.

She too had gotten in trouble for that Twitter engagement. How? She had somehow saved the video from the Instagram and posted it on Twitter in reply to Raven’s tweet to the mother.

Yeah, that didn’t fly to well with those who monitored their social media accounts. But the whole team did get a kick out of it.

Clarke pulled into Arkadia University and found a parking spot in the back row. Climbing out of the car, Raven waved and said, “See you in Jefferson after class! One step closer to my goal!”

She ran off as the two laughed and rolled their eyes. Clarke locked her car as her and Octavia walked into campus. They parted ways as they reached their respective buildings, promising to walk to Jefferson together.

Clarke entered Wallace Wing, a building dedicated to the late Chancellor, Dante Wallace. He had been a big advocate for the art department at Arkadia University. The building held classes pertaining to art, music, and theater. In his honor and thanks for his support, they renamed the building after him.

Making her way down the hall, Clarke found herself in the familiar room of 103. Inside, she saw her classmates setting up their station for class. Marcus hadn’t arrived yet, so she went to her own bench.

She set her bag down and pulled out her art supplies. Walking over to a big counter, she opened one of the drawers where her name was labeled. Shifting through the papers, she found the drawing she wanted to work on.

After pulling it out, she returned to her bench and set it down. She examined it, deciding which approach to take.

The assignment was to create a design in which a part of the image was sketched (in whatever style you preferred) and the other half was a real object that could be laid beside the sketch to complete the object. In the end, half would be sketched, half would be the real object, both coming together to make the real object.

The purpose of the project was to get as close to real life as you could. When Marcus lines the object up to the sketch, he should see the same details in the sketch that he sees in the real object. That meant the shine for metal, fuzz for fury objects, and material lines if visible in a cloth.

Clarke had thrown together a few quick sketches of several objects: her father’s watch, an old soccer patch from her jersey, a tiny stuffed penguin, and her headphones. She had thrown together a set up for each, not settling for just drawing the object itself.

For the watch, Clarke was drawing it as if her father was wearing it. For the soccer patch, she drew a close up of her wearing the jersey. For the stuffed penguin, she was drawing the setting in which he sat on her bed. And lastly, for the headphones, she was having them lay across her phone that was open in the music app.

The sketch she had pulled out to work on was the one that contained her father’s watch. She had the rough edges of the basic sketch laid out, but she wasn’t sure part she wanted to outline in detail first. If she got the basics on the watch done, she could base the rest of the picture off it.

Deciding to go with that path, she picked up her black color pencil.

Minutes flew by as she got lost in the drawing. Her pencil crossed over the paper effortlessly as she edged the watch’s frame. When detailing the clock’s hands, she added in a slight shadow underneath for a popping effect. She pressed the edges hard, creating a deep edge to illustrate the hand not lying flat on the surface.

As she outlined the straps of the watch, she added small scratches that lined the leather. The straps had endured a lot of tear due to her father working in engineering. There were oil stains she replicated, making it seem as if the oil stained the paper.

She was so lost in the details of the buckle, she didn’t notice as Marcus sat down opposite of her. He didn’t interrupt though. He watched her as she carved another tiny shadow under the buckle, giving it that same popping effect she gave for the clock’s hands.

He took a sip of his coffee from his infamous mug, slurping a bit too loud, causing Clarke to look up. He offered an apologetic smile and told her, “I could smell the concentration radiating off you, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Are you sure that’s just not me smelling bad after practice?”

“A bit of both if I’m honest.”

Clarke laughed and set her pencil down, cracking her knuckles individually. Stealing a glance at her phone, she saw she had been detailing her drawing for a good thirty minutes. She could feel her fingertips cramping the slightest in result. She could use the small break while talking to Marcus.

Setting his mug down, Marcus pulled out a sheet of paper. He laid it down, telling her, “This has the details for the art exhibit.”

He slid it over to her and she picked it up. The day was set for Sunday, the opening beginning at seven in the evening. The event would end promptly at ten that night. It had an important note that the dress code was formal wear. It included a side note stating that champagne would be served to legal adults, sparkling water for underage persons.

What caught her eye was the admission cost. It was a donation of whatever each person wished to donate to a campaign that advocated for stroke awareness and research. Clarke felt her heart beat a bit harder than usual when the reality of the statement settled in.

Tears prickling her eyes, she looked up to Marcus. He offered her a small, sad smile. She opened her mouth to ask how, why, and much more, but none of it came out. She was struck silent with shock.

“It was your mother’s idea,” Marcus informed her. He placed his hand over hers that was shaking slightly. “She called me last month and asked if there was an admission fee to art exhibits. I told her it depends on the artist and that you had chosen to not install one.”

Clarke had been adamant when choosing no admission fee. Half the reason was because she felt wrong taking people’s money to see a college kid’s art and half because Raven complained she wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“That’s when she recommended a donation fee,” Marcus continued. “People could choose how much they wanted to donate as an entrance fee. If they didn’t have any cash on them, then they could just sign the guest book and enter anyways.”

Clarke hadn’t thought of that idea. It was a good idea, and she felt a bit shortsighted for not thinking of it. She was glad, however, that her mother had brought up the idea; especially, with the organization she chose.

“I told her it was a great idea,” Marcus smiled brighter, “and that you would love the idea. The next step was figuring out an organization to donate to. I didn’t have to do much work because your mother had already conducted enough research to write a term paper on each organization she informed me about.”

Clarke laughed a little. It was such a thing for her mother to do. When she found something and had an interest in exploring it, she went all out in her research. Clarke vividly remembered her mother doing extensive research on a band she wanted to see in concert. Only when her mother finished her research and approved did she let her buy the tickets.

“All I had to was contact the organizations and double check her information,” Marcus finished up. “After that, we chose one organization.”

Clarke smiled to herself a bit, heart growing the slightest in appreciation. Unconsciously, her hand set the paper down and reached out, grabbing ahold of her father’s watch. Running her thumb over the frame, his smiling face flashed in her mind.

“I had noticed,” Marcus spoke up again, “when contacting the organizations that they were all focused around stroke awareness and research. I asked your mother why she had chosen that type of organization.”

His voice fell off after the last word left his lips. He ran his hand across his beard, trying to find the right way to word the next sentence. Taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly, he finally said, “She informed me of…what happened to your father.”

Closing her eyes, the words hit her like a freight train. It had been seven years but the words never failed to sear pain into her heart like the day she had received the news.

She felt the hand still covering hers hold a little tighter. Opening her eyes, she looked to the hand and back to Marcus. He was offering her a smile of comfort this time.

“After your mother had explained the situation,” he explained, “I told her the idea was more than a great idea. I told her it was brilliant. Especially, when she told me that your father was your biggest art fan and was the one to hang your masterpieces on the fridge.”

Clarke laughed slightly, a smile gracing her lips. Giving her hand one last squeeze, he concluded with, “And then I informed her it was a great way for him to still be your biggest fan.”

She didn’t know what to say. It _was_ a brilliant idea. They would be raising money for a great cause and in the end, her father would still be supporting her art. She told him what she thought was the right response, “Thank you.”

His lips twitched up another notch and he nodded to her. He patted her hand before letting go and drawing it back. “If everything looks good to you, then I’ll finalize the posters we’re going to hang around.”

Looking it over once more, eyes lingering on the donation section, she handed it back. “Everything looks perfect.”

He smiled, bright and big this time. He folded the paper back up and put it away, telling her, “And just so you don’t have a heart attack when you see them, I invited some high end art critics. You’re welcome.”

And with that, leaving her open mouthed and in more shock, he took a swig from his mug, winked, and got up, leaving her be. She turned to watch him waltz over to another student’s station and plop down across from them, starting another conversation as if he didn’t just drop a bomb on her.

Turning back to her current artwork, she picked up the pencil, shaking her head as a smile found its way on her lips. What a typical Marcus thing to do. He would make a big deal look like nothing. He was real good at it.

+

“He did _what_?”

“Mhmmm.”

“And he made it seem as if it wasn’t a big deal? Like they were just some art posers on Instagram?” Octavia shook her head, repeating Clarke’s thoughts an hour earlier, “What a typical thing of him to do.”

Clarke laughed and buried her hands in her coat’s pockets. The fall wind was picking up as the day went on. Her fingertips brushed up against the note that was stuck in her mirror earlier. The eerie feeling began to creep its way back up her spine but she shut it out. She wasn’t going to let it ruin the good mood she was in.

As Octavia and her approached Jefferson, reaching for the door to enter the building, the door suddenly flung open. Octavia jumped back in time to avoid eating metal for lunch and being trampled by the man speed walking by.

Neither of them got a glance at his face, a hoodie pulled over his head a scarf wrapped around his mouth to block the fall breeze. Octavia caught the door as it was closing, watching the guy briskly walk off. “It seems like someone forgot their manners when they left for college,” she commented as she walked inside.

Clarke laughed a bit, agreeing. She couldn’t ignore, however, the nagging of that eerie feeling suddenly making its way up her spine again. Looking back as the door closed behind her, she saw the guy had stopped walking and was watching them as the door closed. The door shut, cutting him from her sight.

Blinking, snapping out of her trance, she followed Octavia through another set of double doors to a hallway in Jefferson. As they walked down it, Clarke tried to shake the eerie feeling off. But whenever she tried to make it go away, the guy popped into her mind, making it surge inside her.

Once more, her fingertips brushed up against the paper in her pocket. Her hand wrapped around it, feeling the paper crumble between her fingers. Along with it, the eerie feeling crunched together and disappeared.

As they rounded the corner, they caught sight of Raven and Gaia already sitting in the booth they sat at every Thursday. They walked up, offering them a smile as they sat down. As they did, Clarke noticed Raven playing with a small pin her hands. “What’s that?”

Raven looked up to her, shrugging. “Not sure,” she replied, “I found it sitting here when I arrived. It looks like a puzzle piece.”

She held it out for the whole group to see. It certainly looked like a puzzle piece, but one end where Clarke was guessing the sticking out end was supposed to be, was broke off. The jagged edge and slanted angle gave her the idea. “Is it broken?” She asked.

Gaia nodded and took it from Raven, looking closer. “Yeah,” she said, “one end was definitely broken off. We couldn’t find the other piece around here anywhere though.”

Clarke looked around the table and then back to the pin. The backside was still attached, so it could still clip onto anything. “At least it’s not completely broken,” she commented.

Raven nodded in agreement, taking it back from Gaia, and said, “The only downside of it being broken besides the obvious, is that the colors aren’t evenly distributed. That’s what’s driving me nuts.”

Clarke looked closer to see, in fact, that the puzzle piece was divided into four colors: red, light blue, yellow, and navy blue. Each separated the other color by being their own puzzle piece. “That’s some inception shit,” Octavia commented, noticing as well.

Raven laughed and said, “You’re not wrong.” She proceeded to pin it to her backpack. Giving it a small pat, she smiled, happy with her newest addition to her backpack, and turned to face Clarke. She asked, “Did Marcus tell you the news yet?”

“What news?”

“About the donation for the admission fee for your art exhibit?” She frowned then and added after a second, “Shit, I really hope he did and I just didn’t spoil it for you. I _did_ tell him I couldn’t keep it a secret much longer and that today was the last chance he had to tell you before I did.”

The table laughed at Raven’s impatience and Clarke smiled at her. “He told me,” she reassured her.

She laughed again as Raven visible relaxed, smacking Gaia on the back, startling her. She looked over to Gaia, telling her, “We avoided a big mess there.”

“We?” Gaia sounded baffled. “What do you mean ‘we’? That came out of your big mouth, not mine.”

“But,” Raven flung her arm around her shoulder, using her other hand to bop her on the nose, “we’re working it together, so it’s either we’re both fucked or we’re both saved.”

Gaia swatted her hand away, rolling her eyes, as the other girls laughed. The last sentence ringing her mind, Clarke asked, “What do you mean working it? And how did you know before I did?”

Turning her attention to Clarke, Raven smiled. She said, “Marcus came to me after he and your mother figured all the stuff with the organization out. He asked if I could run the donation booth with Gaia.”

“Wait a minute,” Octavia interrupted, “Marcus trusted _you_ with the donation booth?”

“I did say Gaia was working it with me,” Raven responded.

“Oh boy,” Octavia laughed under her breath. Looking to Clarke, she nodded to the pair, “She’s going to rake you in a lot of donations. She knows how to guilt trip people into anything. How did you guilt trip Gaia into helping you?”

The last part was directed back at Raven. Raven seemed offended but the group knew she was faking it. “I didn’t have to guilt trip her,” she replied. “She decided to help out of the kindness of her heart.”

“How heartwarming.”

“I know, right?”

“And such bullshit.”

The whole table erupted in laughter then. Raven waved Octavia off, saying, “Marcus asked her first before me. He figured two people helping was better than one.”

Octavia raised a suspicious eyebrow in her direction. She asked, “You sure it’s not because Marcus knows you will bribe the people into donating and Gaia is the only one who can make you stop and remind you that they have a choice?”

Clarke and Gaia laughed as Raven glared at her. She tapped her fingers against the table and told her, “You’re still mad that I guilt tripped you into doing my mythology report, aren’t you?”

The two laughed again, remembering that situation all too well. Raven had helped Octavia study for her astronomy class, as she was struggling to keep a passing grade. They stayed up all night, drank a shit ton of coffee, and gazed at the stars for hours the night before her final. If it wasn’t for Raven’s help, Octavia wouldn’t have aced the test and saved her grade.

Raven held it over her head, guilt tripping her into helping her with her mythology report. Little did Octavia know at the time, Raven intended for her to write the whole thing for her. Octavia fell hook, line, and sinker for it.

It wasn’t until after she finished it, did she realize the “report” she was editing for Raven, was a script for Octavia to edit and write a whole report.

As you could tell, Octavia was still pretty bitter about it, but agreed it was only fair for what Raven did for her.

As the laughter died down, Raven said, “Anyways, I won’t have to bribe or guilt trip any of them. It should be common sense to donate to a good cause. Any good person would.”

The statement warmed Clarke’s heart. She agreed with that and figured people would donate what they could as they entered. Even if they didn’t donate, Clarke knew spreading awareness itself was just as good.

“Plus, that’s just donating in general,” Raven added, money signs glistening in her eyes. “My charm is what will make the amount of the donation sky rocket.”

The table laughed at that, Clarke and Octavia shaking their heads at her, while Gaia smacked Raven’s arm off her. Lexa walked over at that time, raising an eyebrow in question. Raven shrugged and winked at Clarke, fixing the pin on her backpack. She snatched her wallet up and shook it, saying, “Now, let’s go get one wrap closer to my goal."


	3. It’s not just any cinnamon roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dunnnnn, the plot thickens,,,,,
> 
> plus - ENTER ABBY !!!!

“WAKE UP FALCONS!!!! IT’S TIME TO KICK SOME PANTHER ASS!!!”

Clarke’s alarm clock sounded a bit different that morning. Usually, a loud ringing bell would jolt her awake. However, this morning, she was awoken by a certain roommate screaming into a megaphone she had gotten for Christmas. Who thought it was a smart idea to get Raven a megaphone? She was loud enough without it.

“UP AND AT ‘EM LADIES! DON’T LET YOUR PANCAKES GET COLD!”

Groaning and rubbing her temples, Clarke slowly rolled out of bed. Sliding her slippers on, she exited her room and into the living room. She looked over to the kitchen where Raven was facing the stove, humming.

Clarke made her way into the kitchen, scratching her head as she yawned. Raven heard and looked over to her, a grinning spreading across her face. “Good morning, bedhead!”

Clarke mumbled a response back, patting her hair down as best as she could. She came over, looking over Raven’s shoulder. She was busy humming to herself again and flipping pancakes. Clarke asked, “What flavors we got this morning?”

Raven grinned and pointed at the three separate plates, each having a heap of pancakes. “We got three choices this morning,” she informed her, “regular, chocolate chip, and blueberry. I have this half bottle of syrup for us. And of course for Lexa,” Raven reached next to the stove and showed her a squeeze bottle, “strawberry glaze!”

Clarke grinned and gave her a tiny hug, telling her, “This definitely makes up for screaming as our alarm clock.”

“Which reminds me…” Raven’s smiled turned dark, putting the glaze down in exchange for the megaphone. Clarke stumbled backwards, covering her ears as Raven brought it up to her lips, screaming, “GET UP YOU TWO LAZY ASSES! BEFORE I FLUSH YOUR STRAWBERRY GLAZE DOWN THE TOILET, LEXA!”

There was a thud heard down the hall in response. The two looked to each other, hurried footsteps following soon after. The sound of a door flinging open rattled through the apartment and the footsteps became louder as they approached.

Looking to the living room over the island bar that separated the kitchen from it, they found Lexa leaning against a chair, hair disheveled, and her bathrobe hanging off half her body. She pointed a finger at Raven, telling her sternly, “Do not touch my strawberry glaze.”

Offering her an innocent smile, Raven winked, replying, “I won’t have to now that you’re awake. But poor Octavia…” Clarke covered her ears once more as Raven aimed the megaphone at the room right by the front door where the kitchen was, yelling, “OCTAVIA, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE RIGHT NOW OR I’LL FILL YOUR PILLOW WITH SYRUP AGAIN!”

“IF YOU GO ANYWHERE NEAR MY ROOM WITH SYRUP AGAIN,” Octavia shouted back, “YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO COACH HOW YOU MISSED OUR GAME BECAUSE YOU ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL WITH A SYRUP BOTTLE UP YOUR ASS!”

Clarke and Lexa looked to each other, “oh shit” looks on their faces. Raven, however, was unfazed as her dark grin returned. She set the megaphone down and grabbed the bottle of syrup. Without saying a word, she marched right up to Octavia’s room, saluted to the two girls, and flung the door open.

“What the…” Came Octavia’s voice from inside, but when she recognized who was outside, she warned, “Raven, I swear to God, if you come in here…”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence. Raven walked inside and slammed the door shut behind her.

It was silent for a good ten seconds. There was no screaming, no voices, no crashes; it was quiet, too quiet.

Then they heard it.

“RAVEN GET THE FU-”

It was followed by a crash. A thud followed suit.

“O, IF YOU DON’T GET-”

There was another crash. Then another, and another. A thud was heard, followed by a shout, “RAVEN, DON’T YOU DARE, I SWEAR-”

It feel silent.

Clarke and Lexa looked over to each other again, dread overcoming them both. Soon, they heard Octavia whisper to Raven, but loud enough for them to hear, “You’re. Dead.”

What followed sounded like a wrestling match reserved for the professionals. Swear words were thrown about, crashes were plentiful, and loud thuds echoed as they rolled around. It started off loud and rushed, but it slowed to a stop after a few minutes until it was quiet again.

Neither moved to open the door, the two in the kitchen just kept their eyes on the door. Soon enough, it slowly opened. Slowly, Raven exited Octavia’s room, a triumph grin on her face. Octavia followed behind her shortly, a pout adorning hers.

That wasn’t the only thing plastered on their faces.

They were covered in syrup.

It dripped from their hair, covered their faces, and was smeared across their clothes. Looking over to the two girls cowering in the kitchen, Raven held up the empty syrup bottle. She grinned, asking, “Care to share your strawberry glaze, Lexa?”

+

Clarke managed to escape her apartment syrup and strawberry glaze free.

After the four finally sat down for breakfast and Clarke got out her extra bottle of syrup, they all ate. Strawberry glaze on blueberry pancakes? That was a hard pass for Clarke.

She parked in her usual spot in the back row outside Wallace Wing. Climbing out of Candy Apple and locking it, she made her way to room 103. Marcus was inside, pouring sugar into his coffee. Again, he was using his infamous mug.

Putting the sugar down and stirring it, he looked up to her, asking, “And what do I owe the pleasure, Clarke?”

Rolling her eyes, she walked up to his desk. She told him, “Don’t try to act like a formal professor while holding that mug. It doesn’t blend well.”

Marcus held his hand over his heart in mock hurt, replying, “I’m wounded. I happen to think they blend well.”

Clarke held up a finger to stop him, lip twitching up into a smile. “ _Especially_ , not with an art professor.”

Marcus laughed at that, finishing his stirring. He tapped the toothpick against the cup before tossing it away. He took a sip of it, smacking his lips with a sigh, before asking, “But what did you want?”

Clarke offered him a big grin, innocence radiating off her. He was in the middle of raising his mug back up to his lips when it clicked. His shoulders dropped and he said, “Clarke…”

“Come on!” She whined, crossing her arms. “It’s one game!”

“And it’s supposed to be the coldest night of the year,” he retorted, taking his sip of coffee.

She frowned but kept her foot down. “You told me,” she said, “I could ask you to come to one game. _One_.”

“And it has to be _this_ one?” He mocked the little whine in her voice.

She grabbed a notepad off his desk and threw it at him, earning a laugh. He picked it up, his laughter dying, and he set it back down on his desk. “I’m only joking,” he told her.

“So you’ll come?” She prompted.

He sighed and took a long drink of his coffee. He hadn’t been to a soccer game of theirs since _that_ game. Not out of personal choice, he loved watching the women’s team play. But ever since _that_ game…

Licking his lips and setting his mug down, he complained, “I won’t have anyone to sit with.”

“You can sit with my mother,” Clarke offered.

He looked over to her and reminded her, “I have never actually met your mother before, Clarke.”

“And?”

He threw his hands up in the arm, shrugging. He moved his hands about, saying, “It may be a bit…weird?” He sat up straighter in his chair, pulling his suit tighter a bit, shaking his hair back. He mocked, “Nice to finally meet you Ms. Griffin, I’m Marcus, the art professor Clarke probably never tells you about. We talked on the phone once. May I sit by you to support your daughter? She gave me permission to sit by you.”

Clarke rolled her eyes as Marcus smiled to her. Just like how Marcus made a big deal seem like nothing, he over exaggerated small things.

“A truly moving performance,” a new voice said, clapping after.

The two shifted their attention to the door. Standing there was Indra and Cage Wallace. Indra was the one who had spoken and was clapping.

Marcus winked in her direction. “Thank you, I try.”

“Forget painting,” she commented back as they walked up to his desk, “you should become an actor.”

Marcus laughed and took another drink of his coffee. He set it back down, waving one hand, saying, “It wouldn’t be fair to Leonardo. I would steal his spotlight.”

That earned a laugh from all three. Indra shook her head and set a brown box on his desk. She asked Clarke, “What’s he undermining now?”

Marcus’ mouth dropped a bit in shock and told her, “I am not undermining anything!”

“Sure you aren’t,” she said, giving him a look, and then turned her attention back to Clarke.

Clarke looked from Marcus and back to the chief of police. A sweet smell entered her senses and her eyes went to the box on the desk. Looking back to Indra, she told her, “He won’t come to my game tonight.”

Marcus had begun reaching for the box but after Indra heard Clarke, she snatched it away from him. “Hey!” Marcus said, looking at his empty hands and then up to Indra. It was hard to think with the face he was making that he was oldest person in the room.

Indra raised an eyebrow at him, asking, “And why won’t you go to the game?”

Marcus knew Indra knew why, but he was glad she had went along with it. Both had been there at _that_ game and she knew too well about the aftermath.

Before he could give his bullshit excuse again, Clarke told her, “He apparently has no one to sit by, and won’t sit by my mom because ‘they don’t know each other’.”

Marcus looked like he had been attacked, even more so when Indra looked over to him. “Not undermining the situation?” Indra mocked him.

“No, I-”

“What, Marcus? Are we in middle school?” Indra shook her head, earning a snicker from Cage in the back.

Marcus’ cheeks flushed, but he wasn’t sure why. Indra was just playing along with his excuse. Why was he so embarrassed?

“Either go to the game,” Indra offered, “or you don’t get your cinnamon roll.”

Yeah, it was hard to believe Clarke was the youngest in the room. Indra was bribing Marcus to attend her game, the biggest game of the year, with a cinnamon roll. And the craziest part? It worked.

Defeated, Marcus said, “Fine, I’ll go.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Indra gave him a look over for a second longer, to see if he was bullshitting her. Indra had been trying the whole year to get Marcus to go to the games again since _that_ game. She knew she finally had him backed into a corner he couldn’t escape. When she determined he wasn’t bullshitting her, she set his box back down. He snatched it before she could change her mind, glaring at her.

“Seriously?” Clarke spoke up. All three looked to her dumbfounded state. She asked, “All it took for you to go was a _cinnamon roll_?”

Marcus, being himself, told her, “It’s not just any cinnamon roll. It’s a cinnamon roll from Sunshine Café.”

“And?”

“They’re God’s greatest gift to this Earth,” he finished, opening the box. Immediately, the sweet smell of cinnamon filled the room. He closed his eyes and breathed in as the scent overwhelmed his senses. His mouth was already watering.

Crossing her arms, Clarke shook her head. “Unbelievable,” was all she could say.

“Plus,” Indra told him, “you go to the Polis game every year. It’s a game even you can’t resist.”

Opening his eyes, he looked to Indra, but didn’t acknowledge her statement. Behind her words, she was addressing the real reason he didn’t want to go; but, she wasn’t wrong. Forgetting the events of _last_ time, he still enjoyed the game.

Cage spoke for the first time, asking, “You do remember last year, don’t you?”

Indra laughed a little, remembering all too well. She locked eyes with Marcus, egging him to play along. She joked to Marcus, “We may need you as backup again.”

Remember how Clarke said the bleachers were packed at each home field? And that the fans got into it? And that they litter the complex with a few cops to keep the peace?

Well, when Arkadia played at Polis last year, chaos had erupted from the bleachers.

It was late in the second half and the game was tied. Octavia, Arkadia’s goalie, was on the side of the student section that half.

Octavia could handle anything some obnoxious fans threw at her. She’s heard it all. From social media taunts to skill degrading. It went in one ear and out the other. It never affected her.

This time, however, some Polis students took it too far.

The bleachers behind the goal was split up into two sides: one containing Polis’ students and the other containing Arkadia’s students. They shouted things at each other, insulted each other, but no one had ever made a move for a physical attack.

That was until there were ten minutes left in the game and the Polis students ran out of regular taunts. A few of them had resorted to more inappropriate and vulgar taunts. Some of them were clearly sexually harassing Octavia.

The cops or referees did nothing about it, so Jasper Jordan did.

He didn’t ask them to stop it, he didn’t bother going to an authority figure. He went right over to the student section himself and tackled the guy who started it.

Hell broke out.

The bleachers containing each student section turned into a mosh pit. Everyone started fighting everyone. People flew over the railings and onto the pitch. People punched each other and knocked others out. Marcus was sure he even saw someone bite another on the shoulder.

The game was stopped and the players were taken away from the scene, in case the chaos erupted onto the field.

Indra and Cage were present at the time, on duty, as the two cities split an even number of cops from both areas over the complex. As they were running over to the chaos, Indra pulled Marcus along with her.

It took twenty minutes for the police to get control of the scene. Many of the students ended up handcuffed, a lot needed slight medical attention, and some were still spitting insults at each other as they got dragged off.

Marcus was in charge of Jasper. He walked off with him towards his car. As they were walking, they passed by their team’s bench. Jasper winked at Octavia and told her, “See ya on the other side.” Marcus drove him home that night.

Marcus shook his head, the memory unfolding in his mind. “That Jasper was a wild one,” he said.

The three laughed. Clarke said, her tone suddenly dropping in mood every word, “That’s an understatement.”

Silence feel between the group. As the more bitter side of the memory replayed in their mind, everyone’s mood in the room dropped. There was no laughing at Jasper’s reckless stupidity. There were no smiles in remembrance of that crazy night.

Marcus found a great interest in the box his cinnamon roll rested in. He played with the corners of it, asking what was on his and Clarke’s mind, “Any news on the case?”

Indra shook her head but Cage snorted from behind her. The three looked to him as he crossed his arms. He told him, shaking his head, “That case has been cold for over a year now. It’d be a miracle to get it running again.”

It was the truth. It hurt, but Cage was right.

That same night, Jasper went missing.

The last footage anyone has of Jasper was a street camera getting footage of Marcus dropping him off at his house. Jasper walked up his lawn and entered his house.

That was the last anyone had heard or seen of Jasper Jordan.

He disappeared into the darkness after the bright burst with his incident at the game.

There were no leads, no clues, no traces. There was no sign of a break in at the home. Everything in the home was the way it was before Jasper left for the game, confirmed by his roommate Monty Green. Nothing was stolen.

Police questioned every student that was involved in the brawl, to see if any Polis students had taken him as a prank. That was a dead end. Monty was at the game as well, so he wasn’t home when Jasper was taken back. And when Monty got home, Jasper was already gone.

With nothing to go on, the case went cold quickly.

“What’s this?”

Cage’s voice broke everyone out of their trance, looking to him. He was bent over, picking up a small paper from the ground. He stood up straight, confusion etched on his face.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at him, asking, “What is it?”

Cage looked to him and turned it around. Marcus leaned forward in his chair, reaching out. Cage handed it to him, asking, “It’s not yours?”

“Mine?” Marcus questioned as he placed it in front of him. Looking at it, he recognized it was another poem. The handwriting was similar to the one he had been hit with when with Clarke. It read:

_Some people think the darkness has an end,_   
_but the darkness is endless_   
_As long as there is light in the world,_   
_then darkness will be endless_

Marcus’ nose crinkled at the poem. Whoever kept writing these had a weird obsession with the darkness. And they apparently hated the light.

Looking back to Cage, he asked, “Why did you think this was mine?”

“It’s not?” Cage looked genuinely confused. He walked around to stand by Marcus, and leaned on the desk, looking over the poem again. He asked him, “Isn’t that your handwriting?”

Marcus looked at the poem closer. He remembered the eerie feeling he had that the handwriting was familiar. His eyes skimmed over it and he commented, “It’s really close.”

“But not yours?”

Marcus looked to Cage, telling him, “Remember what I told you when we were partners: you don’t let anything slip away from your attention, even the tiniest little detail. They may hold the most power.”

Suddenly annoyed, Cage said, “Yeah, yeah, I remember that shit advice. What’s it got to do with this note?”

Marcus pointed to the word ‘people’ on the paper. Cage looked closer as Marcus told him, “You see how the e’s are written?” Cage nodded. “I don’t write regular e’s. All the e’s are regularly written. I always write mine in cursive, connecting them to whatever letters are next to them.”

Marcus set the poem on his desk, Cage snatching it up to look closer. He saw for a fact that all the e’s were not written in cursive. He threw it back on the desk, an annoyed pout on his face. Marcus asked Cage, “Shit advice, huh?”

Cage waved him off and retorted, “Not my fault you have weird writing habits.”

Indra chuckled a bit and shook her head, zipping her jacket back up. She told him, “Your reports _were_ a pain in the ass to read sometimes.”

Marcus threw his hands up in the air, giving up on them. He shook his hand at them, telling them, “I’m done being bullied by you today.”

Indra laughed more and stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. “That’s fine,” she said, “because I’ll just continue it at the game tonight.”

“You _are_ coming, right?” Clarke finally spoke up again, raising an eyebrow at him.

Indra’s and Marcus’ eyes flew to each other’s for a quick second before she averted hers to his cinnamon roll. He quickly picked the box up and held it close to his chest, eyeing her. His wandered to find Clarke and told her, “I’ll be there.”

“Perfect!” Clarke grinned. She looked at her phone, realizing the time. “Well, I better get going. We have to be in the locker room soon for set up. See you _all_ tonight!”

Marcus caught onto her tone and rolled his eyes as she left. Indra pulled the keys to her cop car out and tossed them to Cage, telling him, “Go start the car.”

He left without a word and Indra turned to face Marcus as they were finally alone. Marcus set the cinnamon roll down, running his hands over his face as he sighed.

Indra reassured him, “Everything will be fine tonight.”

“That’s what we thought last year.”

“No one could have seen that coming,” Indra replied. “Not us, not Jasper, and not you. It’s time you stop blaming yourself.”

Marcus rested his hands on his thighs, lightly tapping them as his mind reeled with her words and the guilt that still lingered. He looked to her, asking, “Absolutely nothing new on the case?”

Indra frowned for a moment but then a sad smile formed on her lips. She shook her head and said, “Nothing on either three of them.”

Marcus ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. That nagging guilt from Jasper, to-

“The car is ready.” Cage’s voice crackled to life through Indra’s walkie talkie, interrupting Marcus’ thought.

Indra changed her smile to one of comfort. She told him, “You know I will let you know the minute anything pops up.” Fixing her scarf to cover her neck, she informed him, “We have to meet with Polis Police to double check the arrangements tonight. We’ve separated the schools on either side of the bleachers.”

Marcus laughed a little, pointing out, “So you literally want me in the middle of it again?”

Indra rolled her eyes while chuckling, walking to the room’s entrance. She looked back to him, telling him, “It’ll be better than last year.”

With that, Indra left him alone with his cinnamon roll. He immediately unswirled a bit of it, shoving it in his mouth. The icing and cinnamon melted on his tongue and he sighed pleasantly. They were truly heaven in a box.

His eyes wandered to the poem sitting beside the box. He picked it up again as he licked the excess icing off his fingers. He hadn’t full out told Cage that that handwriting was basically his. The only thing off about the poem were the e’s. Everything else was spot on with his handwriting.

Setting it down and shoving the eerie feeling from his mind, he refocused on his cinnamon roll. There wasn’t a thing Sunrise Café’s cinnamon rolls couldn’t cure.

But as he took another bite of it, he couldn’t ignore the small nagging of the word ‘ _darkness’_ in the back of his mind.

+

“Alright ladies,” Lexa spoke before the group of girls, “tonight we play more than a game. We play for our school, we play for our fans, we play for our state, but most importantly, we play for ourselves. We play to prove who we are.”

The team was currently resided in their locker room, Lexa standing at the front, facing the group. She crossed her arms over her chest, her captain badge around her arm reflecting in the locker room light.

“Just like every year,” she continued, “the bleachers are packed. There are cameras everywhere. There are cops walking around. But don’t let any of that deter you from our main goal tonight.”

The room was silent as they watched their captain. Lexa’s eyes roamed the room, landing on Clarke’s for a split second longer. She smiled to herself, as if she knew something the rest of the group didn’t. She finished, “Kicking Polis’ ass and taking home a win tonight.”

The locker room erupted in cheers, Raven starting a chant of “FALCONS! FALCONS!” as the girls all sprang up from their lockers. They all rushed out of the locker room, heading towards the field. Kick off would begin in five minutes.

Marcus heard them before he saw them. He was standing by the entrance in the cement wall that enclosed the field. He turned around in time to see Octavia leading the pack from the locker room. As soon as the door flung open and Octavia took one step outside, screams erupted from the bleachers.

They all ran past him and onto the field. The last person in line was Clarke and she offered Marcus a big smile before following the team. They all jogged over to their bench where their coaches were waiting.

Marcus watched them circle up, arms slung around each other, as they did their last pregame talk. Marcus could hear shouts of “YES!” and “WE ARE!” from the group. Every time he did, the bleachers responded as well, getting louder each shout.

Closing his eyes, Marcus leaned on the cement wall, getting lost in the chants. It had been over a year since he had been in this environment. He missed it. The cold chill of the night mixed with the excitement, the cheering fans, and the beautiful sight of the field under the lights. He missed it all.

“Ladies and Gentleman,” a voice over the speakers announced, “welcome to Wallace Stadium for tonight’s match of the visiting Polis Panthers,” screams erupted on Polis’ side of the bleachers while boos erupted from Arkadia’s, “against your Arkadia Falcons!” The screams in response drowned out any boos that came from Polis’ side.

Opening his eyes, Marcus watched as the starting line ups for each team, lined up on their respective side on both sides of the three referees. He smiled as he saw Lexa at the head of the line, Octavia next to her, Clarke next to her, Raven besides her, and Gaia besides her. The five deadliest on the team at the front where they belonged.

The referees began walking forward, the two teams following suit. As the referees reached half way, they stopped walking. Lexa and the line leader for Polis stopped right beside the referees. Octavia appeared next to her, the rest of the team fanning out to form a straight line across the field.

Screams erupted as both teams settled into their lines. The announcer waited for it quiet down before stating, “Now let us announce the starting lines up. First, for the visiting Polis Panthers.”

Marcus tuned out, not caring. He didn’t go as far as Arkadia’s student section did, however.  They turned around to have their backs to the field. Then they all raised a newspaper up, as if they were reading it instead of paying attention. A good rivalry classic.

“Where’s your newspaper?”

Marcus looked behind him to see Indra walking up. He smiled at her, looking back to the field. He told her, “Murphy needed mine.”

Indra laughed as she came to stand by him. She crossed her arms over her chest as the players for Polis were finished being announced. The announcer played a little background music, an upbeat song, saying, “And now ladies and gentlemen, here are your starting Arkadia Falcons!”

The student section for Arkadia threw their newspapers in the air, turning around and screaming. Marcus looked over as did Indra. In the front row, leading the cheers were Arkadia’s Men’s soccer team. Bellamy and Murphy were front and center, smacking the cement in front of them, screaming their heads off.

As they were announced, Marcus looked over to Indra, asking, “Where’s Cage?”

“He was positioned towards the parking lot,” she informed him. She shook her head, saying, “We don’t need any more slashed tires or a riot in the parking lot.”

Marcus laughed. He said, “College kids are crazy.”

“And all for a rivalry.”

He shrugged in response. He would never go as far as these kids did when it came to a rivalry but he couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy the simpler antics of a good rivalry.

Indra nudged him with her elbow, drawing his attention back to her. She nodded her head in the direction of the bleachers, asking, “Why aren’t you sitting with Clarke’s mother?”

The announcements had just finished and each team was wishing the other luck as they went back to their benches. Marcus looked into the bleachers, where a sea of common folk were mixed with parents and other students from both Polis and Arkadia.

Glancing at the field as he looked back to Indra, he noticed Clarke, Octavia, and Lexa standing with the referees for the coin toss. He rolled his eyes to her, telling her, “Many reasons. One: there is no room up there. Two: I have no idea what she looks like. Three: there’s a better view from here.”

“I’m sure,” Indra joked, “someone next to her would be willing to offer their seat up for a senior citizen.”

Marcus’ jaw dropped open at the comment. He didn’t know how to respond to that, his mouth moving, but no words coming out. Indra burst into laughter the same moment the whistle went off, signaling the start of the game.

She patted Marcus on the back, winking. “It’s different when we say it out loud, isn’t it?”

Marcus gave her another look, but not replying. Indra laughed harder and patted him a few more times on the back as her laughter died down. With that, she walked off to her post, leaving Marcus dumbfounded.

Looking back to the game, he felt around his beard. Was it the salt and pepper beard look?

+

“Lexa! Support!”

Everyone was on the edge of their seat. The game was still currently tied 0-0. Both teams had an equal number of chances, number of yellow cards, and shots on goal. Neither had succeed to put the ball away yet.

There were two minutes left in regulation.

Lexa currently had the ball in the middle of the field. Two polis center midfielders were applying pressure, not letting her dribble freely up field. Raven had called out to her, letting her know she could play the ball back to her.

Given no other option, Lexa played the ball diagonally back to Raven. Raven took her first touch into the open space before her. Scanning the field, she immediately recognized the familiar space between the two center defenders for Polis.

Looking to the far right, she saw Clarke on the far side of the field in her forward position. Raven couldn’t find her through yet, not having crossed the half line. As she dribbled up the line, she found herself applied with pressure from a Polis midfielder.

There was 1:30 left in regulation.

Raven stepped on the ball to stop her advance, looking around for help. Gaia was her left forward and she ran back and towards the sideline, creating an angle for support.

Raven pushed the ball forward to pull her mark forward, opening more space behind her. The Polis midfielder came towards her, ready to engage in a tackle. As they got closer, Raven swiftly passed the ball to the left where Gaia was waiting.

Shielding off her defender, Gaia one touched the pass back to Raven, who had sprinted pass her mark. The ball perfectly fell into Raven’s run, successfully completing the give-and-go. She took her touch into the space behind her mark.

There was a minute left in regulation.

Crossing over the half line, Raven looked up again to scan the field. The gap between the two center defenders still existed. Looking back over to Clarke, she started to run up the field, but remained onside.

Their center forward, Luna, recognized the pattern from practice yesterday. She slightly nodded to Raven, indicating she knew what she had planned. She backed into her defender a bit, who happened to be one of the center defenders, creating a presence and drawing the attention from Raven to her.

It gave Raven a little more time to dribble up the field to secure a shorter, better percentage pass. As she moved up, she made eye contact with Luna again. Luna got the message and pushed off her defender, running off into the space where Gaia had previously been, calling for the ball.

There were thirty seconds left in regulation.

The defender followed Luna, falling for the diversion. As soon as she followed her, Clarke broke out into a sprint, losing her outside defender from Polis. Instead of playing the ball against the grain like in practice, Raven slotted a ball into the new empty space on a diagonal in the same path as her run.

Clarke ran behind the center defender at the same time the ball went behind her. As Luna’s run had drawn the defender deeper towards Polis’ goal, Clarke remained onside. The ball rolled right into Clarke’s run and she controlled her first touch to carry her into the goalie box.

There were ten seconds left in regulation.

Looking up, Clarke found the Polis goalie coming out towards her, arms spread wide. Focusing on the ball, Clarke locked her right foot, tilting outwards the slightest bit. She kicked the ball the same way she did in practice: underneath and on the outside slightly.

The ball came off the ground and swung outwards, causing the Polis goalie to dive out to the right. The ball had the right amount of power, speed, accuracy, and spin.

It rounded its way around the goalie’s hands and sank into the back of the net as the time clock struck one second.

The referee blew the whistle, indicating a goal.

Screams erupted from the bleachers, metal thundering as the fans jumped around. Bellamy and Murphy were screaming as they jumped up and down, holding onto each other. Screams also erupted from the field as Clarke spun around and was immediately tackled into a hug by Raven. A dogpile ensued, Octavia being the last one to jump on top.

The bench for the Falcons went crazy. The coaches threw their clipboards in the air and hugged each other. The substitutes all jumped up from the bench and ran around, screaming their heads off.

Marcus watched the scene with a smile. It was a fantastic goal. The response he observed was a rightful one. If he hadn’t been a “senior citizen”, he might’ve have screamed along with them, but he settled for clapping.

The referee got the dogpile broken up and had Arkadia return to their side of the field so they could resume play. It didn’t matter though, because as soon as the referee signaled for the game to resume, and Polis tried to score from midfield, the ball dying before it entered the box, the referee blew the final whistle as the clock ran out of time.

As he blew that whistle, everyone re-freaked out. The student section for Arkadia went nuts, running and storming the field. Bellamy and Murphy were the first on the field, besides the rest of the team from the bench. The whole student section plus the team were jumping around, chanting the school chant of, “WE WILL RISE! WE WILL RISE!”

“See?” Indra’s voice broke through the chant. Marcus looked over his shoulder to her approaching figure. “I told you tonight would be fine.”

He shook his head with a small smile. He went back to watching the kids, telling her, “There’s still after the game, when _it_ happened.”

Indra smacked him lightly on the back of the head. She gave him a stern look and told him, “Only with that attitude. Enjoy the win, Marcus.”

She began to walk away as he shoved her hand away with a small laugh. She called out over her shoulder, “I would leave before the crowd rushes to leave. Hell _will_ break out if there’s a long line out of here.”

Marcus offered her a knowing smile and looked back to the celebrating on the field. Raven and Octavia were currently sneaking up behind Clarke, carrying their five gallon jug of water. They tipped it up over her and dumped it all over, earning an ear piercing scream in response.

She turned around and went to hit Raven, but Bellamy picked her up from behind, perching her on one of his shoulders. Raven got her perched on her shoulder, both supporting her as they carried her around the field.

Marcus shook his head as the two made eye contact. She smiled brightly up to him and waved. He waved back, a proud grin making its way onto his lips. Her eyes left his and found someone in the bleachers. His eyes followed hers and fell on one of the only people left in the bleachers.

There was a woman, supporting a red, knee length jacket. She had long, lush brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. On top of her head rested a red knitted Falcon beanie. She was clapping, a proud smile only a mother could produce on her lips.

Clarke waved to the woman and the woman waved back. Marcus watched the exchange with curiosity and understanding. He gave the woman one more look over before heading out to his car.

Bellamy and Raven carried Clarke on their shoulders to the locker room. They dropped her on her feet when they reached the door. Bellamy offered her a big grin and said, “Way to go, Princess.”

“Way to go?” Raven repeated. “More like, holy fucking shit Clarke! That was amazing!”

Everyone around screamed in agreement as Clarke laughed. She smiled big and told Bellamy, “Thank you.”

“Any time,” he replied. He looked around the crowd of students and yelled out, “PARTY AT THE SOCCER HOUSE TOMORROW NIGHT!”

More screams erupted from the crowd, including Raven as she high-fived Bellamy. “Screw my biology project,” she proclaimed, “I’m getting wasted! We deserve it!”

Bellamy and Clarke laughed, shaking their heads at her. Bellamy patted her on the shoulder while offering them both another smile. “Great win girls, truly,” he told them before heading out of the complex.

Raven slung an arm over Clarke’s shoulder, turning her into the locker room. Their teammates had beaten them inside, and when they entered the room, the screams erupted all over again. Lexa immediately came up and hugged Clarke close, telling her, “I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Clarke hugged her back, nestling her cheek on her shoulder. She saw Octavia and Gaia over her shoulder and they offered her a thumbs up and wink each. She smiled back to them, pulling back from the hug.

Lexa clasped her hand in Clarke’s, telling her, “Dinners on me tonight. Red Robin?”

Clarke’s eyes lit up like a child on Christmas, asking, “Can I get my milkshake?”

Lexa grinned as she laughed, dragging her over to their lockers. She told her, “Score like that every game and I’ll buy you all the milkshakes you want!”

Clarke raised her fist in a little victory shake, whispering, “Yes!” to herself, but Lexa heard it, laughing in response.

The team got out of their uniforms quickly, putting them in the laundry basket. As Clarke waited for Lexa, she saw she had a text from her mother:

_Cops advised leaving early to help the flow of traffic. I will see you on Sunday for your art exhibit. Call me after dinner. Great game, sweetie! THAT’S MY BABY!!! XOXO_

Blushing the slightest bit at her mother’s words, she put her phone away. Lexa was finally finished and joined her at the locker room door. Reaching for her hand, she pulled Clarke out and they made their way to Candy Apple.

Clarke intertwined her fingers with Lexa’s, looking over to the field. The goal replayed in her mind, making the grin reappear on her face. Lexa noticed and smiled, asking, “Thinking of the goal again?”

Clarke nodded as she looked back to her. Lexa grinned more, squeezing her hand. She told her, “There’s no way you won’t be captain next year.”

The thought made Clarke flush with pride and nerves. Lexa was a junior, one year older than Clarke and the rest of the gang. She was made captain this year and probably would be captain again for her senior year.

“Co-captains?” Clarke asked, grinning bigger.

Lexa offered her another smile, pride shining in her eyes. “Co-captains.”

Clarke nudged her a bit in response, earning a heartfelt laugh from Lexa. They reached Candy Apple and Clarke unlocked her, throwing their bags in the back seat. As she shut the door, a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

It came from her mirror on her driver’s side door. She stepped closer and looked in it. Again, there was another piece of paper stuck in the mirror. She pulled it out and climbed into the car. Starting the car, she turned the light on above their heads.

Unfolding it, the sweet smell of freshly baked bread entered her senses. She held it out in the light, reading:

_The light is persistent,_   
_but so is the darkness_   
_The light may win this time,_   
_but in the end,_   
_the darkness will win_


	4. She didn’t find her keys, but she found another lifesaver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fireball is not your friend,,,,,doesnt that note look familiar ???? hmmmmmmmmmm

“YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME!”

“There’s a reason professional singers exist,” Octavia commented over the loud music, “and there’s a reason you’re not one of them.”

Raven flipped her off, choosing to not respond. Instead, she downed another shot of her alcohol. As she chased it down with her Sprite, she slid the bottle to Octavia. She patted her on the back, telling her, “Loosen up.”

Before Octavia could bite back, Raven stood up at that moment and walked over to the island bar where Clarke sat with Lexa. Smacking Clarke on the back, Raven said, “Take a shot, champ!” As she surveyed their drinks she made eye contact with Lexa, adding, “You too, captain!”

The pair rolled their eyes at their defender and Raven waved them off. She turned to face Octavia as well, asking aloud, “Am I the only one celebrating yesterday’s win?”

“No,” Clarke answered, “we’re just waiting until we get there to start.”

“Coach is lucky I didn’t start the moment that final whistle blew,” Raven mumbled, taking a small swig from her bottle. Wincing the slightest, she added to Clarke, “It’s called pregaming for a reason.”

Sighing, Clarke unscrewed her Gatorade bottle that contained Fireball and quickly took a shot, chasing with her lemonade. Screwing the cap on, she asked her, “Better?”

“Hell yeah!” Raven grinned. “Next time wait for me and we can do it together!”

Leaving the two alone to go back to pestering Octavia, Lexa laughed slightly. She told Clarke, “The Uber will be here shortly.”

“Good,” Clarke replied, “or I might down this whole bottle here to deal with her.” Lexa laughed in response and took a sip of her own mixed drink.

If Clarke was honest, she wanted to be shitfaced right now. She wanted nothing more than to down her alcohol and numb out her feelings. Not that she didn’t want to enjoy the party, but she wanted to get rid of that creeping feeling.

She had tried hard to block it out last night after reading that poem. She tried hiding behind her milkshake, she tried hiding it at breakfast this morning, and now she tried hiding it in her alcohol. Nothing could shake it off.

Casting a glance back at her room, she could see the notes she had picked up compiled by her computer. The pile didn’t include the two Marcus had or probably thrown away, but she remembers them. She remembers how they all have the same eerie handwriting, the same distinct scent, the same theme, and how they all coincidentally end up by her.

Just the thought of the notes gave her another chill. Pulling her gaze away from the room, she looked back to Lexa who was casting her a worried look. She asked her, “Are you okay? You’ve seemed on edge since the game.”

Clarke offered her an assuring smile and lied, “I’m fine. I just randomly remembered the art exhibit is tomorrow and all the high expectations everyone has. _And_ the art critics.”

Lexa placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You’ll be fine, Clarke,” she told her. “You didn’t crack under pressure for one of the most important games of our season yesterday, and you won’t crack under pressure tomorrow.”

Clarke smiled her thanks and nodded slightly, unscrewing her bottle. She took a long shot from it, immediately wincing in regret but found slight solace in the burn down her throat. Drinking just as long from her lemonade, she sighed after swallowing. “Let’s hope,” she said.

Lexa squeezed her shoulder again as her phone lit up, indicating their Uber was here. She offered her another smile and told her, “Well, just like your mom always says, hope is everything.”

Clarke smiled bigger as Lexa announced to the others that their Uber was here. Raven shut the music off, punching her drink in the air, yelling, “LET’S GO CELEBRATE LADIES!”

Adding a scream at the end, Raven ran out the front door. Octavia rolled her eyes as she stood up from the couch. “I’ll go make sure she doesn’t scare this Uber off,” she said as she walked out the front door too.

The two laughed as the door closed. Lexa grabbed her jacket, sliding it on, asking, “You sure you wanna go? If the exhibit is giving you this much anxiety, we can just stay in and watch Lilo and Stitch.”

The idea sounded perfect and made Clarke feel safer. She almost agreed but she heard Octavia shout from below at Raven, “RAVEN GET YOUR ASS OFF CLARKE’S CAR AND GET IN THE UBER.”

“MAKE ME!”

“I’LL YANK YOUR ASS DOWN JUST LIKE THAT ONE VINE,” Octavia warned.

The two in the room erupted into laughter. Lexa looked back to Clarke, telling her, “Seriously, we can if it’ll help.”

Clarke offered her a smile, appreciating the offer. As her eyes lingered towards her room for a quick second, the notes flashed in her mind again. For some unknown reason, she was afraid of those notes. But why? She hadn’t seen once since after the game. For all she knows, it could have been Polis students pulling a prank to throw her off before the game. Or, it _was_ just a coincidence.

Maybe it was the buzz her in mind, but she wasn’t going to let someone’s weird obsession with the darkness and poetry scare her off from living life. Besides, the alcohol was dimming that creeping feeling and Clarke wanted to celebrate the win.

Looking back to Lexa, she smirked a bit, telling her, “Someone once told me that maybe life should be about more than just surviving.”

Lexa gave her a look, noticing the way Clarke was tapping her left foot like she always does when she’s tipsy. She said, “Yes, and that’s when we were telling each other our senior quotes.”

Clarke pointed at her, the buzz becoming more apparent each word, saying, “And it applies here in college too.”

Lexa rolled her eyes while chuckling. “Fine,” she said, “you ready to go? Raven won’t wait too long and God knows how long it’ll be until Octavia wants to kill her.”

“I think we crossed that line when Raven started to butcher that Bon Jovi song,” Clarke mumbled, earning an agreeing nod and laugh from Lexa. She added in, “Give me a second to grab my jacket from my room and then we can go down.”

“Alright,” Lexa said as Clarke jumped down from her stool at the island bar. Her world swirled the slightest bit as her feet landed. She slowly made her way to her room making sure to not fall over on her way.

When she entered the room, she found her jacket sitting on her bed. Grabbing it, she slipped it on over her outfit, finding comfort in the warmth it offered. Zipping it up, her eyes drifted over to her desk, spotting a packet of gum. Shifting her way through homework sprawled across the floor, she grabbed it from the desk.

The notes sitting next to the gum caught her eye as she put it in her pocket. Immediately, the creeping feeling began to seep its way into her system, pushing past the alcohol. It felt as if it was a hand making its way up her neck, squeezing harder every second. Her heartrate picked up the longer her stare stayed on them.  

“You ready?” Lexa’s voice broke the trance, Clarke taking a sudden intake of breath. Her hand shot up to her throat, tiny gasps escaping her until she felt the pressure disappear. She turned to see Lexa at her door, looking at her phone. She told her, “Octavia texted me to hurry up before she ties Raven to the roof of the Uber.”

At that moment, Lexa looked up and Clarke met her gaze but she had moved her hand behind her to push the notes under a folder. She took one deep, calming breath before answering, “Yeah, I just decided to grab some gum.”

Smiling, Lexa nodded to the front door, saying, “Then let’s get going before Raven ends up becoming road trip luggage.”

Clarke laughed and nodded, swaying her way through her mess of school work and out of her room. She shut the door of room and linked her arm through Lexa’s. They grabbed their alcohol and chasers and walked out the door, down the stairs, and to the Uber.

Once inside the Uber, Octavia in the front to avoid strangling Raven, and the other three girls in the back, Clarke released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Raven threw her hands up, screaming, “CELEBRATION TIME LADIES!”

Unscrewing her alcohol, Raven turned to each lady on either side of her, asking, “Cheers?”

Lexa grinned and unscrewed her mixed drink, raising it. The two looked to Clarke as she was watching them. As the car took off down the driveway out of the apartment complex, Clarke cast one last glance up at her room’s window.

Turning to the two, she opened her Fireball and held it up, saying, “Cheers!”

The three other girls yelled it back, Raven being the loudest, and all downed a shot.

+

“You know, Bellamy,” Lexa commented, watching Murphy chase Bellamy’s latest attempt in beer pong, “it’s a good thing you’re not on the basketball team.”

“And why’s that?” He asked back.

“Because you suck at aiming with your hands.”

He raised an eyebrow at her comment, watching as her shot bounced off the rim of their opponent’s cups. He nodded towards the shot, stating, “And you’re so much better.”

Lexa crossed her arms and faced him, nodding to the only two cups left on their opponent’s side. She told him, “I got all those cups out, you have yet to hit a cup.”

He rolled his eyes and nudged her playfully, snatching up Murphy’s toss. “Shove it where the sun doesn’t shine, Woods.”

Lexa nudged him back, retorting, “Ask Murphy to, I’m sure he’ll be happy to help you.”

Even in the dark, party lit basement, Lexa could see Bellamy flush at her words. She grabbed Clarke’s toss that hit off the back row and raised an eyebrow at him. She threw hers, landing it in one of the last two cups. Turning to look back at him, she asked, “Did I hit a soft spot?”

Bellamy snapped out of his dumbfounded state and turned to throw his shot, ignoring her. Lexa took that chance to nudge him again, forcing his aim to travel further right than intended. “Hey!” Bellamy yelped in response, but Lexa just pointed to his shot. He turned in time to watch the ball sink into the last cup, ending the game.

Bellamy sputtered over a few words before Lexa patted him on the shoulder, winking. “Good win, Blake. You’re getting there.” With that, she left the babbling soccer captain and made her way to her girlfriend. Clarke was pouting, her arms crossed over her chest.

“It’s not fair,” Clarke complained when Lexa reached her, “Bellamy knows how good you are at beer pong.”

Lexa laughed and uncrossed Clarke’s arm, intertwining their fingers and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She told her, “But think of next year when you’re named my co-captain and Murphy is beside him. Then his ‘captains versus underclassmen’ excuse won’t work anymore.”

Clarke grinned in response, imagining Bellamy’s dismay when he was told he _had_ to be Murphy’s partner for once. It wasn’t that Murphy was bad, because Bellamy was _way_ worse, it just Lexa was better than all of them combined. Bellamy knew that and so he played the captains card to make sure they were partners.

“Okay then,” Clarke replied, “but until then, you’re not allowed to play beer pong anymore.”

Lexa raised an eyebrow at her, asking, “Are you banning me from that table?”

Clarke went into deep thought, but she couldn’t concentrate that hard, the Fireball had her thinking of Taco Bell. She decided on telling her, “Yes, yes I am.”

Lexa smirked a bit, drawing Clarke closer. She whispered, “And what if I don’t listen to you?”

Lexa’s breath smelt distinctly of her mixed drink and Clarke drank it in. That and the Fireball sent her mind into a whirlwind, making her blurt the first thought in her mind out, “Then no Taco Bell for you for….for…for a month!”

Lexa’s eyebrow rose again, a goofy grin spreading on her lips. She decided to play along, complaining, “A month?”

“Yes!” Clarke declared, a new fire built up in her eyes. She threw their conjoined arms in the air, adding, “A month!”

“Does that mean even our Tuesday Taco Bell date nights?” Lexa asked with a pout.

Clarke’s demeanor deflated as their hands fell back on her shoulders. She brought her free hand up to her face, thinking. She turned to Lexa, pointing at her, saying, “No because you’ll pay for the month! Yeah, you’ll pay for all my tacos!”

Lexa grinned again and planted a kiss on her cheek, saying, “Deal.”

Clarke fist pumped to herself, grinning big. She confessed to her, “Tacos actually sound _really_ good right now.”

“DID SOMEONE SAY TACOS?!”

The couple turned to the right to see Raven dancing her way through the crowd, arms in the air, waving her alcohol and chaser in the air. Appearing in front of them, shaking her shoulders to the current beat, she winked at them. “What did my favorite couple say about tacos?” She asked, downing another shot of her alcohol.

Clarke’s eyes lit up. Now, not only did she had Lexa involved in her quest for tacos (even though Lexa didn’t know she was recruited yet), she also had Raven. Clarke grabbed onto Raven’s wrist and told her, “We’re on a quest for tacos.”

“A quest?” Raven repeated her, finishing chasing her shot. She screwed the lid back on while jutting her lip out in thought. Her eyes snapped open wide as she lifted her finger up as if a light bulb appeared over it (to Clarke it did). “Bell said something about left over Mexican earlier!”

“Perfect!” Clarke shouted. She yanked Lexa towards the stairs that would lead them one closer to their goal, yelling at Raven to follow.

As they advanced up the stairs, Raven began to sing her own lyrics to _I’m The One_ as it blasted from the speakers. “You’re the one,” she sang, “you’re the only taco.”

The trio made it to the fridge and Raven did the honors of opening it up. Scanning the fridge and pushing past their protein drinks, Raven searched for the take out box.

“Any luck?” Clarke asked, growing impatient as her stomach growled in anticipation.

“Ha!” Raven said in response, backing out of the fridge with two take out boxes. She looked up the couple, dollar signs in her eyes. “Jackpot!”

Clarke squealed as Raven set the boxes down on the table. She opened them and the inside glowed like gold bars. “I think I just went to heaven,” Raven commented.

“Oh,” Clarke agreed, “me too.”

Dividing them up between the three of them, they took turns heating them up in the microwave. Raven had gone first because “I found the treasure!” and Clarke was currently waiting for hers to heat up.

Raven had just taken a bite of them and frowned, commenting, “This must be one of Murphy’s, there isn’t any hot sauce on it. Pansy.”

“Is there any in the fridge?” Lexa asked.

“I didn’t see any when I was looking for the treasure,” she thought aloud, getting up to walk to the pantry. When she tugged on the handles, she learned it was locked. “Damn it. I know there’s some in here but it’s locked. Why would they lock their pantry?”

“Probably,” Lexa commented as Clarke took her tacos out of the microwave, “because you raided it last spring for candy.”

“I was doing them a favor,” Raven shot back, “it’s called spring cleaning.”

Lexa rolled her eyes as Clarke set her plate down besides Raven’s. She held her hands up between the two and announced, “Don’t fear ladies, I have an extra key to it! It’s the same key as their house key!”

“Then what are you waiting for!” Raven exclaimed, shoving Clarke towards the room where her backpack was. “Go save the day and grab it!”

“On it!” Clarke yelled back as she stumbled down the hall. Gathering her footing, she opened the door to Bellamy’s room and slipped inside. Turning the light on, she found her way to the bed, where their jackets and backpacks rested.

Grabbing hers and sitting on the bed, she opened it and searched through it for her keys. She came up empty in the first search and she frowned. “I swear I put them in here…” she mumbled to herself, digging through the pockets again.

Again, she came up empty. Panic began to sweep through her. She had put them in her bag, didn’t she? She was _sure_ she put them in there. More frantically, she dug through the pockets again. The search was no different than the first two.

She felt the panic begin to overcome the buzz of the alcohol as she looked around the room. Had someone else come in here? Why would they want her keys? On the verge of tears, she dug through her bag again. She didn’t find her keys, but she found another lifesaver.

She pulled out her mini device, FIND ME, which Lexa had gotten her for her birthday. It was a two piece gift. One was connected to her keys while the other piece was always in her backpack. She would click a button on the piece she kept with her and if she was in close enough distance, a noise and light would go off on the other piece connected to her keys. The whole point was to find the missing device the FIND ME was connected to.

During their freshman year, Clarke lost her car keys every other day in the apartment. For her birthday, Lexa bought her the FIND ME so she could find them. Her mother had also grown tired of getting distressed calls over lost keys so she had also bought her one. Clarke kept one FIND ME in her backpack for when she traveled and one on her desk for when she was at home.

As she clicked the button, she heard the noise go off. Definitely the best presents she had ever received.

Calming herself down, she kept her finger on the button, making the sound continue. She found her around the room until she found the keys, buried under the coats. Grabbing them, she tried to make sense of how they got there.

A small scene flashed in her eyes where Raven was fighting over her keys with Octavia. Octavia was telling her that they had just gotten to the party and Raven didn’t need an excuse to get into the pantry. Raven begged to differ. Clarke got the two to calm down as she promised Raven she’d let her in there eventually in the night for any candy she wanted. Happy, Raven had let go of the keys the same time Octavia did. They landed on the bed and proceeded to be buried beneath their bags and jackets. Clarke was too distracted at the zipper getting caught on her jacket to tell them to put the keys back.

Sighing in annoyance at her own ignorance, she put the FIND ME away and exited the room. Closing the door behind her, she made her way back to the kitchen. There, Raven was waiting patiently and Lexa just set her plate down next to Clarke’s.

Hearing the jingling of the keys, Raven’s head shot up. “My savior!” she cried out, jumping from her seat.

As Clarke opened the pantry, Raven pushed past her, going from the hot sauce on the third self. Clarke also watched as Raven snatched up a bag of Twix. She held her finger up to her lips, winking, as if they now shared a secret. Clarke winked and nodded back.

Raven ran back to her seat and plopped down and began drenching her taco in hot sauce. Clarke’s heart was still racing a bit from the short panic attack so she set the keys down by Lexa, telling her, “I’m going to get some fresh air real quick. Lock that up once she’s done.”

“And return them to your bag?” Lexa meant it as a small tease, but it sent Clarke’s heart racing a bit more. She played it off though and just winked to her girlfriend before turning and walking to the front door.

When she walked outside, the chill of the night immediately hit her. She embraced it though, letting it become a blanket around her. That and the quiet of the night helped calmed her racing mind.

She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, breathing in the cold, crisp air of the night. It chilled her bones and she shivered as she let it go. With it went away her panic. She repeated the process a few more times before reopening her eyes, feeling calm once again.

The crickets chirping in the night and the rustle of leaves in the wind were the only noises present. Sure, there was the booming music and screams from the party, but it was easy to block those out; especially as Clarke made her way down the driveway.

Standing where the driveway met the sidewalk, she looked down the street both ways. A few scattered light posts illuminated the street poorly but enough. She preferred the poor lighting as she looked above her to see the stars litter the sky.

That’s when she felt the trance over take her. Her eyes ran across the sky and the surrounding space, analyzing each detail. She took note of how each star shined in their own presence and how their shine reflected off each other. She took note of how the street lights dampened some of their shine. She took note of how the black background of the sky heightened their shine.

Closing her eyes again, she imagined tracing the vision. In front of her was a black colored piece of paper and a white colored pencil in her hand. Effortlessly, her hand began to move across the paper, sketching the vision into detail. Soon, the sky appeared on the paper, just as it did in the sky.

Opening her eyes, Clarke watched as the sketch was transferred to the sky, not a single detail out of place.

Instantly, Clarke felt calm once again. That was what art did for her. It offered her an escape from the world, while still being intact to it at the same time. While focusing solely on the details and transferring them, she got lost in the world, noticing everything and nothing at the same time. Marcus had always told her he would notice when she would get lost in those trances.

A sudden snap of a twig snapped her out of her trance completely. Being drawn back to the real world, Clarke looked to the right, where the noise had come from. Squinting in the dim light, she thought she saw a shadowy figure standing at the end of the sidewalk.

Not being able to decide if it was the alcohol or the shitty lighting, Clarke took a few steps towards the figure. The figure was positioned three houses away, one light post right behind them at the end of the block and one in the middle of the two.

As Clarke made her way closer, the buzz of the alcohol coming back, she found herself under the light post one and half houses away from the figure. She tried squinting more, but the figure was just as blurry as three houses away. She took another step forward when she heard a crunching under her foot.

Lifting her foot, she saw a crumpled piece of paper on the sidewalk. Confused, she bent over and picked it up. Almost immediately, the sweet smell of bread flooded her senses. It also made her mouth water as she remembered the tacos waiting for her. Uncrumbling the paper, Clarke held it up to the light to read:

_Four lights_   
_all doomed to fade_   
_The first goes out_   
_after a bright burst_   
_before silencing into darkness_   
_The second goes out_   
_but slowly_   
_as the darkness slips in_   
_The third goes out_   
_but not without a fight_   
_It holds onto its last_   
_flicker of hope_   
_before the darkness_   
_overpowers it_   
_The fourth is still lit_   
_but the darkness is waiting_   
_For when its_   
_dusk till dawn_   
_no light is safe._

Before she finished reading the last line, the creeping feeling exploded throughout her body. The invisible hand was back on her throat, squeezing harder than when she was back in her room. Feeling her heartrate pick up as if she had just ran a fitness test, she gasped for a breath.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she flinched away from it, stumbling and throwing her arms for protection. She tripped over her feet and fell to the cement, scrapping her hands to break her fall. The pain didn’t register as she scrambled to back away from whoever had snuck up on her.

“Clarke!” The voice called out, “Clarke! It’s me! _Lexa!_ ”

Immediately, Clarke stopped her advance away from her and put her arms down. She looked up to see that it was indeed Lexa, who had her tacos on a plate. Looking down the street, Clarke noticed the figure wasn’t present anymore.

“Are you okay?” Lexa asked as she helped Clarke to her feet.

“Yeah…” Clarke mumbled as she shoved the note in her pants pocket. She looked down the street, unsure if she was seeing things or not. She looked back to Lexa, faking an embarrassed smile. “I thought I saw a cat walking down here so I went after it. I thought it jumped on me when you touched me.”

Lexa laughed and linked their arms together, leading her back to the house. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not a cat. _But_ , I do have your tacos, all warmed up again.”

Clarke’s stomach growled in appreciation and she smiled big. She grabbed the plate and kissed Lexa’s cheek, saying, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied as they approached the driveway. “Now, let’s get inside. It’s freezing out here!”

Clarke nodded in agreement as they entered the driveway. Grabbing a taco, she shoved a huge bite into her mouth. Against her better judgement and for the creeping crawling back up her spine, she spared a glance back down the street.

She almost choked on her taco when she saw the figure was back, standing where they had been at the end of the street. Except now, the figure was holding up a notepad, with one symbol drawn in black sharpie:

**4**


	5. You could cut a bitch and draw blood with them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KABBY RISE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! aka 6.6k words of kabby goodies

“And then _that’s_ the time I compliment their outfit,” Raven explained. She crossed her arms as she sat back, her grin growing. “I’ll bullshit any compliment, and BAM! There’s another five dollars.”

Gaia rolled her eyes as she sipped her coffee. “And what if the dress is orange?”

Raven’s grin dropped in disgust. “Then when they return the dress, they can donate _that_ money,” she replied.

Clarke, nearby, rolled her eyes with a small smile. No one really knew why Raven hated the color besides her reason of, “It’s a wannabe red.” Was it logical? No. Did Raven care? Also no.

Clarke stood in front of the color sketched portrait of Lexa they had just hung up. It was positioned right across the entrance. It would be the first piece of art everyone would see. Marcus had told her the art piece chosen for that spot was important as it should showcase what the art exhibit stood for.

Clarke ran her finger over the plaque mounted on the wall next to the sketch. Her thumb ran over the title, “WOODS”. Underneath it read Clarke’s name along with a short description of the sketch. It was hard to narrow down the many meanings the sketch gave Clarke to three sentences.

Clarke had settled on a single quote for the description: “Life is about more than just surviving.”

Her fingers fell from the plaque, eyes lingering on Lexa’s smile for a bit longer. Her eyes then wandered to the right, where the rest of the exhibit was still being assembled. Her eyes landed on various works of art, the quote echoing in her mind.

A small smile graced her lips. The quote and art piece embodied the art exhibit perfectly.

The shrill of her phone interrupted her thoughts. Looking at the caller ID, she smiled as she lifted the phone to her ear, answering, “Hi Mom!”

Abby answered back, “Hi honey. How’s the exhibit coming?”

Clarke looked around once more before her eyes settled on Raven and Gaia by the stand at the entrance. Gaia was shaking her head at something Raven had said, probably another absurd donation trick.

“Great!” She told her mom, “The only thing I’m nervous about is if someone doesn’t donate what Raven thinks is enough, she’ll shake them upside down by their feet to get more.”

Abby’s laugh rang over the phone. She responded, “The worst part is I don’t think that’s an exaggeration.”

Clarke glanced over to the duo again, watching as Gaia face palmed while Raven rubbed her hands together with a big grin. She told her mom, “I don’t either.”

Her mother laughed again, the sound calming Clarke’s nerves the slightest bit. As if sensing her daughter’s nervousness over the phone, she reassured her daughter, “I’ll drag her out by her ponytail if I must.”

Clarke laughed this time. Gaia had slapped at Raven’s hands and pointed a stern finger at her, lecturing her. Raven pouted back, turning her head away from her. Settling down more, Clarke replied, “I know you will.”

“And so does she.”

That earned another laugh from Clarke, feeling more relaxed by the second. Her eyes drifted back to the Lexa sketch and her smile only grew. Her mom told her, “I also called to tell you I got you an appointment at Cece’s nail salon and spa for you and the girls.”

A manicure was exactly what Clarke needed. She looked down to her nails, already imagining which shade of red she was going to use to match her dress. She couldn’t get really long nails since it was still soccer season, but she did want something with a sharp edge with a bit of length.

“Maybe,” Clarke replied, “I can sneak Cece a twenty to secretly paint Raven’s nails orange to distract her all night.”

Abby’s laugh rang over the phone the same time Clarke heard Raven ask her, “Excuse me? You’re gonna do _what?_ ” Her mother had heard, resulting in another laugh.

Ditching Clarke to fend for herself, her mom suggested to her, “Blood Orange. I’ll see you tonight, hon. I’ll be first in line!”

Clarke laughed more in response, watching Raven approach her out of the corner of her eye. “I’ll be waiting. See you then,” she replied.

Both hung up, Clarke taking the phone away from her ear. Raven reached her, crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side, as Clarke put her phone away. She asked her, “What’s this about painting my nails the color that shall not be named?”

Gaia appeared beside her, asking, “You mean orange?”

Raven slapped her hand over Gaia’s face, pushing her away with a tight grin. “Yes,” she spit through gritted teeth, “that color that should not be a color. Say it again and you can’t work the stand with me tonight.”

Clarke pointed out, “You’re not in charge of the entrance, Marcus is. He’s in charge of everything.”

Raven’s grin grew bigger, her one arm still overpowering Gaia as she struggled to push her hand off. “I’m sure I could convince him when he finds out Gaia is suffering from ‘foot-in-mouth’ syndrome,” she told Clarke.

Gaia managed to free her face for a quick second, accusing her, “Are you _threatening_ me?”

Raven’s smile never faded and she looked back to Gaia. She told her, “Only if you say _that_ color.”

“Oh,” Gaia smirked, “you mean… _orange?”_

“You son of a…” Raven mumbled before fully turning her attention to Gaia, whose smirk only grew. Raven pointed at her with her free hand, opening her mouth to lecture her on the wrongs of the color orange, but another voice interrupted.

“Any trouble here, ladies?”

All three heads turned to see Indra walking up, hands on her hips. She was dressed in her cop uniform, Cage following close behind. She stopped just beside the duo who had been arguing about the color orange, raising an eyebrow at them.

Immediately, Raven dropped her hand from Gaia’s face, throwing that arm around her shoulders instead, and dragged her into a tight side-hug. She used her other hand to squeeze Gaia’s face against hers, stating, “No trouble here, officer!”

Gaia sighed through her pursued lips due to Raven as Clarke laughed at the scene. Indra’s face transformed into a kind one, a small smile forming on her lips. “Thought so,” she winked towards the two, turning to Clarke adding, “but what’s the witness’ report?”

The duo’s eyes averted to Clarke and Clarke looked to them. Raven’s playful gaze turned into fear mixed with pleading. Clarke smirked to herself as she looked to Indra, telling her, “If I’m honest…”

Raven’s face dropped in horror, betrayal breaking through as her mouth dropped open. Clarke shrugged, finishing, “The only one to blame here is the color orange.”

Indra raised an eyebrow at that, confused. “The color…orange?”

Clarke nodded, looking back to Raven, who was smiling big once again. She glanced back at Indra, repeating her, “The color orange.”

“What does the color orange,” Cage asked, “have to do with this?”

“The fact that it _shouldn’t_ be a color!”

That was Raven as she let Gaia go finally. All sets of eyes settled on her, a new fire in her eyes. Before she could, once again, get into her reasons, another new voice interrupted her, “Then what color would sunsets be?”

All heads turned to the left to see Marcus walking up, infamous mug in hand. His eyes were trained on Raven, as he asked when she didn’t answer, “Well?”

Raven was a bit stumped, caught off guard by the question. “Uh…there’s yellow in them.”

“What about foxes? What color would they be?” He pointed to Nick on his cup for emphasis, raising an eyebrow.

“They could be red…”

“Pumpkins?”

“Well-”

“Goldfish? I know that’s a favorite snack in your apartment.”

“There _is_ a different type of it literally labeled ‘color’.”

“Then what color,” Marcus asked, “would an orange be?”

Raven fell silent. He had slowly backed her into a corner with his questions, trapping her with that last one. You could read the hard thought process she was going through on her face, trying to make a comeback. She opened her mouth many times, but closed it every time.

Raising an eyebrow in victory, Marcus lifted his mug to his lips, drinking the remaining coffee he had. Marcus topped the cake with icing, telling her, “Orange very much deserves to be a color.”

Raven’s hands clenched into fists and replied, “You’re entitled to your wrong opinion, that’s fine.” Looking to Clarke, she told her, “Before there is trouble here, earlier today, your mother informed me we got a spa day. I need that manicure in case I need to prepare for war.” Her eyes drifted towards Marcus at the last line and he smirked in response.

Clarke shook her head as Indra raised an eyebrow at Raven, who smiled back innocently. Looking to Marcus, Clarke asked, “Will you be good till open?”

Marcus nodded and said, “I’ll make sure everything is set up perfectly before I leave. Then I’ll get here early and we can do another look around. Sound good?”

Clarke smiled, gratitude shining through her eyes. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

Marcus offered a small smile back. Grabbing Raven and Gaia, she dragged them out of the art exhibit, leaving the three adults alone. It was quiet for a while as the three looked around the finished gallery of art.

Marcus found himself standing in front of his favorite sketch of Clarke’s. The title she had chosen was “PRAIMFAYA”. The description below described the resilience of a single Eden tree to survive a death wave of nuclear war.

“It’s amazing,” Indra commented as she came to stand by him, “how much detail she can sketch with a pencil.”

Marcus smiled, instantly agreeing. He looked to the right, watching Cage study a watercolor painting of the sunset over the ocean. Looking back to the one in front of them, he zoned his attention on the leaves of the Eden tree. One had to look close enough to see that Clarke had added singed edges to each leaf.

“Only a truly artist can do it,” Marcus responded.

“And you would know that how?” She teased.

He placed a hand over his heart, shifting his attention to her. “I’m truly wounded, Indra,” he pouted. “Did you not appreciate the stick figure cartoons I drew of you all those years ago when we got bored on stakeouts?”

Indra laughed, drawing Cage’s attention towards them. He walked over as she said, “I still have them all in the dashboard.” She nodded towards where Cage was approaching. “He prefers to sit and listen to the baseball game at stakeouts.”

Cage reached them, crossing his arms, as Marcus asked, “Is that bad?”

Indra raised an eyebrow at Marcus, crossing her own arms, telling him, “To the point where we flip a coin to see who wins choosing what the radio plays.”

“Better than her jazz stations,” Cage snapped back.

Marcus snorted back a laugh, watching as Indra shifted her attention to Cage. She explained to him, “It’s better than listening to the Arkadia Rebels lose _another_ game in the ninth inning.”

Cage rolled his eyes as Marcus chuckled. Indra leaned over to him, adding, “He just doesn’t wanna admit he secretly loves Duke Silver.”

“I like _one_ song,” Cage defended.

Marcus’ grin kept growing as Indra and Cage went back and forth about the jazz legend. He soon focused out their voices as he refocused on the sketch in front of him.

His eyes zoned in the scorched earth just around the Eden tree. The black color of the paper was so dark it looked as if it was depthless. He followed the path of the burnt ground up to the Eden tree, examining how the paths all lead to the Eden tree, as if trying to reach it.

In the back of his mind, the two notes he had read earlier in the week flashed in his memory. The sketch suddenly took on a whole other meaning. The Eden tree represented the light and the nuclear war was the darkness. It had taken away most of the light and now it was making its way towards the last bit of light.

Unintentionally, his eyes shifted to the plaque by the sketch. His eyes landed on Clarke’s name and the notes played in his mind again. Interrupting Indra midsentence, Marcus asked her, “You two are still watching this place, correct?”

The two looked over to him. Indra examined him, noticing his sudden shift in mood. She nodded and said, “Yes. We’re on security duty all night. Why?”

He didn’t answer right away. He kept his gaze on the sketch, eyes examining the little burns on the edge of the leaves again. He answered, “Just making sure.” He looked to the two, smiling. “These pieces could be sold for a lot. Don’t want anyone stealing them.”

“I’m sure if they tried, Raven would tackle anyone before I got to them,” Indra responded.

Marcus and Cage laughed at that. Marcus believed that. If she was willing to fight over the color orange, he could only imagine what she would do if someone tried to steal her friend’s artwork.

His eyes drifted once again over the sketch and then over Clarke’s name. Before the thought could manifest in mind, he turned away from the sketch, recommending, “Let’s go to Sunshine Café before for a quick bite. We can listen to Duke Silver on the way.”

Cage groaned and began walking to the entrance, not bothering to comment as Indra laughed in response. She soon followed after him, leaving Marcus alone for a moment. He quickly double checked everything before going to the entrance.

Against his better judgement, he looked back to the Praimfaya sketch. He regretted it the instant his eyes landed on the Eden tree. The thought formulated in his mind and no matter how hard he tried to shake it off, it lingered.

+

Abby was nervous.

Looking around where she stood at the front of line for the art exhibit, she could only imagine how Clarke felt. The line contained about 50 people, more walking up every minute. She even spotted a few men and women who stayed in a group and presented themselves professionally.

Glancing at her own attire, she fixed the hem of her dress slightly. She decided to stay simple with the formal dress code. She wore a simple black, satin dress that reached around her ankles. It fit snug around her body, flowing a bit the further it went down. The slit up the left side of her leg gave her the flexibility to move comfortably. Her sharp, black heels completed the look.

She stuck to simple pair of diamond earrings from her late husband, a silver necklace to match, and her favorite knee-length red coat for the fall night chill. Her hair was let down free tonight, cascading over her shoulders and down her back. She had slightly curled the ends, adding volume to the strands’ depths.

Her eyes flickered back to the group of what she guessed what were the art critics Clarke told her about and shook her hair strands back. Squaring her shoulders a bit, she stepped forward to the entrance. The art critics may be big in the art world, in every art exhibit they stepped into, but Abby knew in her heart, that Clarke valued her opinion above everyone else’s.

As Abby was walking up to the door, Raven stepped outside into the night. The two immediately made eye contact and each grinned big. Raven sped up her walk, reaching Abby first, and engulfed her in a hug.

“MILF in the building!” Raven whisper-shouted into her ear. Abby burst into laughter as they separated from their hug, smacking Raven on the arm. Raven wiggled her eyebrows at her, but told her sincerely, “I mean it, Abby. You look _amazing._ ”

Abby offered her another smile and told her, “Thank you, Raven. You look beautiful tonight.”

Raven was wearing a yellow dress that reached the floor and pooled around her feet. The material flowed around her body, moving and swishing with every movement. Her hair was down tonight, not sporting the usual ponytail. It laid across her shoulders, curled slightly at the ends like Abby’s. Her look resembled the happiness and playfulness the girl was.

Raven smiled and told her, “Thank you. Now, are you ready to be amazed by the art inside?”

The nerves Abby had forgotten when she saw Raven came rushing back. Keeping them off her face, she nodded. Smiling more, Raven grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the entrance.

Abby’s heart beat faster each step they took towards the doors. Sending one last glance back at Abby, Raven opened the door and pulled her inside.

Immediately, Abby’s eyes fell on the sketch behind Gaia at the entrance stand. Her mouth dropped open and she stopped in her tracks, pulling Raven to a halt. Raven looked back to Abby, chuckling at her reaction. The laugh got Abby’s attention and she looked to Raven, who smiled to her. “I had the same reaction,” Raven told her.

Raven pulled Abby to where Gaia was and joined her on the other side. Gaia opened the guest book and said, “Glad to see you Dr. Griffin. Just sign here.”

As Abby signed the book, she noticed she wasn’t first on the list, but second. Raven and Gaia’s names were in the third and fourth place. Gaia explained, “We knew you’d be the first person in line so we left the second line for you. We couldn’t convince Marcus to take the second line.”

Abby’s eyes wandered over the name on the first line: Marcus Kane.

She knew who he was. He was Clarke’s art professor, the one who set this up for her. He was the reason Clarke was going to be showcasing her art to high-end art critics tonight. Even though it seemed right he signed the first line, a part of her was annoyed she wasn’t officially the first person on the list.

“ _But,”_ Raven stated, drawing Abby’s attention to her, “he didn’t get that spot easily. I made sure his donation earned him that spot if he was going to take it away from you.”

Abby was already pulling her checkbook out, asking, “How much did he donate?”

Raven smiled big as Gaia shook her head, hiding her face in her hands. Dollar signs beamed off Raven as she proclaimed, “$1,000!”

Abby stopped in the middle of writing her check. She was going to donate big but being a single mother and paying for college had narrowed her down less than that.

Raven saw Abby freeze for a moment and she grabbed Abby’s hand, drawing her eyes to hers. Her money gaining grin had changed to comfort. She told her, “I made his minimum donation high because I know you and I know that number one slot meant a lot to you, so I wasn’t going to let him take it without benefiting the cause in the best way he could. Don’t feel bad if you don’t donate as much as him. That’s not the point of the donation.”

Raven’s words calmed her down a bit but she still felt a tad bit guilty. Raven added, “Plus, have you seen those art critics’ outfits? Talk about money! I’ll get you plenty more donations that’ll make Marcus’ look like nothing!”

Gaia rolled her eyes as Abby finished writing her check out. Gaia mocked her, “That’s not the point of the donation.”

Earning a laugh from Abby and a scowl from Raven, Gaia accepted the check. Grinning to her, she told her, “Enjoy the art exhibit, Dr. Griffin.”

Abby smiled her thanks and walked past the two, engulfing herself in the foreign world of art. She walked up to the first sketch of Lexa that she had seen upon entering. If she didn’t know it was a sketch, she would’ve guessed it was a real photograph.

The sun in the background shined as if there was a glare on the actual paper. The leaves from Lexa’s crown looked like the fresh fallen leaves in her front yard. Lexa herself looked as if she was posing behind an empty frame.

Every time Abby found one detail, she found another. And another. And another. The amount of details were infinite. She was able to look at all the details and find a way to relate it to the real world. The blanket Lexa was sitting on? Abby had sewn that with her mother years ago and could see the wear and tear on the frayed ends in the sketch.

It left Abby speechless.

“At loss for words?”

The voice broke through her trance as her head turned towards it. She saw a man in a sleek, black suit approaching. His undershirt was black, as was his tie. The only color in his suit was the pocket square which was a sharp red. His black, leather shoes added a shine to his outfit in the light. His dark brown hair was semi-long, laying natural as it curled slightly at the ends. One defiant curl rested on his forehead. He sported a salt and pepper beard that added to his charming smile.

Drawing her eyes from the man, she looked back to the sketch. “How can you not be?” She asked, running her hand over the plaque.

He chuckled and came to stand by her, looking up at the sketch as well. Neither spoke for a few moments, soaking up the sketch in silence. Finally, Abby turned to the man, extending a hand. “Abby Griffin.”

He turned to face her, his smile growing back. He took ahold of her hand, shaking it. “Marcus Kane.”

Her own smile formed on her face as their hands separated. “So, you’re the infamous professor I’ve heard so much about.”

“Infamous?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow at her. “And why have I earned that title?”

“Oh,” she teased, “you mean other than stealing my first spot on the guest list?”

He laughed, his head tipping back. The sound of his laugh filled Abby with warmth. It was delicate, full of light, and vibrant. He replied, “I had to work to get that spot.”

“So I’ve heard,” she responded, her smirk growing.

He noticed and his smiled turned into a smirk of his own. Abby’s heart skipped a bit faster, noticing how the small shift made him more attractive. He told her in a low voice, “And I can say the same to you, oh miss infamous mother.”

She copied his raised eyebrow from earlier, mocking him, “And what have _I_ done to earn that title?”

“Too many stories to recount,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

That earned a smack on the arm from Abby, making him laugh again. It danced in her ears, growing her smile in response.

“Glad to see you two are bonding well.”

The two turned towards the new voice, spotting Clarke walking over. Abby’s smile dropped into awe the moment her eyes landed on her daughter.

Clarke was wearing a bright red dress, v neck styled, that flowed out behind her as she walked towards them. The slit on the right side helped the flow of the dress, exposing her bright strapped heels as well. The bracelets, necklace, and earrings she wore were all gold, matching the gold eye makeup she was sporting. Clarke’s hair was down, swooshed to hang over one shoulder, curling and waving at the ends.

She looked like a piece of art, the masterpiece of the room.

When Clarke reached them, Abby immediately pulled her into a hug. She whispered to her, “I’m so proud of you.” Clarke smiled into her mother’s hair, her heart growing in pride.

As they separated, Marcus commented, “And that’s based off only one work of art so far.”

Clarke grinned as she looked over to Marcus. “And I have you to thank for all of this,” she told him.

He shook his head at her comment, his smile turning sincere. “I only hung up the pieces where they belong: on display for the world to see. You did all the work to get to this point. Don’t be so modest, you’ve earned the right to be selfish in relishing in the compliments you’ll receive tonight.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at his choice of words, turning to look at her mom. She told her, “You’ll hear many more ‘wise’ phrases from him before the night is over, I’m sure.”

“Artists,” Abby commented, “what else would I expect?”

All three laughed. As her laughter died down, Abby grabbed Clarke’s hands, examining her nails. They were a bit longer than her fingers, sharp at the edges. They matched the exact shade of her dress. There was a dusting of gold sprinkled across them too.

“Cece did a really good job,” Abby commented.

Clarke smiled and told her, “Raven said, and I quote, ‘You could cut a bitch and draw blood with them’.”

Abby and Marcus laughed at the comment, all three averting their eyes towards the entrance stand. Raven was currently drilling one of the art critics, using her puppy dog look. Gaia had her head resting in her hand, shaking it as the lady wrote in her checkbook.

Lexa was the next one to walk through the door, sporting a knee length gold dress. It reflected the light as it flowed around her. Her hair was down and swooshed over one shoulder, identical to Clarke’s. Her eyes landed on the sketch of her behind Raven and Gaia, and she froze in her steps.

“That’s my cue,” Clarke said, nerves breaking her voice.

Abby gave her daughter’s hands a comforting squeeze. They shared an understanding through their smiles and Abby told her, “I’ll meet up with you later.”

Clarke nodded and made her way over to Lexa, who snapped out of her trance when Clarke stepped in front of her. Her eyes focused on her girlfriend as Clarke offered her a small smile. Abby and Marcus watched as Lexa’s face broke out into a bright grin and she pulled Clarke in for a tight hug.

Marcus smiled to himself, leaning over to Abby, saying, “Now that’s a picture perfect moment.” Abby agreed as she nodded, looking up to him. He added, “I know how nervous she was for her to see that.”

Abby looked around the room after that. She glanced at the other pieces of art her daughter had created, seeing people walking into another room, knowing there was more she hadn’t seen yet.

She was inside a world of her daughter’s thoughts, visions, and passions- ones expressed through the form of art. Her daughter was opening up some of the most private parts of her life to everyone through these art pieces. Her nerves were warranted.

“Let’s ease this up for her then,” Abby responded, looking up to him. Marcus looked down to her, raising an eyebrow in question. Abby added on, “Let her get her nerves about showing her artwork to others out with Lexa.”

“And you don’t want to experience that with her too?”

Abby smiled to herself, glancing a look back at the two. Lexa was arguing with Raven, probably about the donation cost. She said as she observed them, “I might get too emotional and I know from the stories Clarke has told you, you know that can turn ugly.”

Marcus laughed but didn’t deny the accusation. He just asked, “So you’re just going to dump that load onto me?”

Abby smirked a bit, looking back up to him. “Are you offering to show me around?”

His smile turned into that same smirk from before that had sent her heart racing. He teased her, “Take this with a grain of salt, but I don’t take you for an art junkie. You may need some guidance.”

That earned him another smack on the arm, making him laugh at her scowl. He held his arm out to her after his laughter died down. “If what Clarke says is true, and any once of worry from her causes you to enter panic mode, I already agreed to take the brunt of it. Would you like a tour of Clarke Griffin’s art exhibit, Ms. Griffin?”

Abby smiled more, grateful he was willing to handle her bundle of emotions to ensure Clarke stayed nerve free as much as she could. Also, if she couldn’t get the personal tour from her daughter, she _did_ want someone with an art background and who knew Clarke well to show her around. Marcus Kane was that person.

Marcus being handsome was a plus.

She teased as she linked her arm through his, “That’s Dr. Griffin to you, Mr. Kane.”

He smirked, catching her playful tone. Pulling her close to his side by their linked arms, he turned her towards the watercolor painting of the sunset over the ocean. He teased back, “Then it’s Professor Kane to you, _Dr._ Griffin.”

She smirked back, watching him and seeing the playful glint dancing in his brown eyes. They made her feel welcome. They made her feel safe. Another thing to add to the list that made Marcus Kane handsome.

“Then lead the way, _Professor_ Kane.”

His smirk only grew as he led her to the painting. “My pleasure.”

+

“There’s one piece of advice I give all my students,” Marcus told Abby. “It’s: don’t let anything slip away from your attention, even the tiniest little detail. They may hold the most power.”

The two currently stood in front of “PRAIMFAYA”, the last sketch of the tour. Marcus had selfishly left it for last, as it was his favorite of Clarke’s.

Abby had taken in Marcus’ advice, noting that it was ninth “wise phrase” of the night. Looking at the sketch, she focused on the scorched earth around the Eden tree. It was the darkest on the edges, barely but noticeably, getting dimmer as it made its way towards the Eden tree.

It was as if the Eden tree, even though singed on the edges, was not only keeping the death wave at bay, but turning it into something good. Sure, the Eden tree surviving the nuclear war showed its resilience, but the color shading scheme represented how even in its toughest times, the Eden tree kept hope, becoming optimistic.

Abby smiled, tears filling her eyes, but they didn’t fall. She knew exactly where Clarke had gotten her inspiration for this sketch. She asked Marcus, “Do you know Clarke’s inspiration behind this sketch?”

Marcus looked down to Abby, seeing the emotion rolling off her. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, drawing her eyes to his. He offered a smile of comfort, saying, “Tell me.”

Her lips twitched up into a small smile, appreciating his comfort. She looked back to the sketch, her eyes zoning in on the Eden tree. She told him, “Before Jake had passed away, he and Clarke had a garden they took care of together. It was their thing.”

Her eyes wandered to the dead lilies in the background, remembering how she would watch Jake and Clarke pick out which color they would blossom that year. She noticed a hint of purple through the ashes and burnt leaves. Purple lilies were the last lilies they planted together.

“When Jake passed away,” Abby continued, “Clarke and I planted an Eden tree in his honor. It still stands where their garden used to be.”

Both of their eyes looked to the Eden tree. He squeezed her shoulder once, smiling sadly. He told her, “That little story, all those details, just gave me a whole new perspective of this sketch. It made this piece of work even more valuable than it already was.”

The words made Abby’s heart swell. She knew he meant the words he said. The description written on the plaque Clarke had given the sketch took on a whole new meaning for Marcus. Not only did it show the resilience of the Eden tree, it showed how to grow through those tough times. “Hope is everything,” is what the description read.

In moments of weakness or when the memories became too much, Clarke and Abby would find themselves outside, sitting by the Eden tree, looking up at the sky.

It gave them hope; it made them optimistic about the future.

Blinking back the tears, Abby coughed a bit, drawing his eyes to her. She asked him, “Are you planning on profiting off my daughter?”

He noted the shift in mood, but didn’t acknowledge it. He knew from Clarke how tough it was talking about her dad. He shrugged and replied, “I mean, I could retire in five years if I started selling her stuff on eBay.”

Abby was about to get at him for lowering Clarke’s art to eBay’s standards when another voice cut in, asking, “So, you’re the thief we really have to look out for?”

Both turned their heads to see Indra approaching. She jokingly put her hands where her handcuffs were, raising an eyebrow at Marcus. Cage followed up behind her, smirking a bit.

Marcus tilted his head to side, turning to face her fully. “You know,” he told Indra, “that I can escape handcuffs in under a minute.”

“Is that a challenge?” Indra countered, unlatching them from her belt.

Marcus didn’t dignify her with a response, just smirked. Abby blurted out, “How long can he last being tased?”

Indra raised an eyebrow at that, looking to Abby. Marcus seemed betrayed as he looked back to her, complaining, “We met just a couple hours ago and you want me to get tased?”

Abby shrugged, crossing her arms. She replied, “You said you were going to sell my daughter’s art work on _eBay_.”

Indra laughed loudly as Marcus’ mouth dropped open to retaliate, but came up blank. It soon turned into a smirk as he stepped back, watching her. Indra held her hand out, a grin gracing her face. “Indra Trikru, chief of police.”

Abby shook her hand and said, “Abby Griffin, Clarke’s mom.” She also shook hands with Cage, being introduced to him. She asked, “Wallace? Was Dante Wallace your father?”

Cage smiled, a sense of sadness behind it. He nodded and told her, “He would’ve loved Clarke’s exhibit.” Abby smiled and gave his hand an extra squeeze, and he smiled back in understanding.

Indra looked back to Marcus, asking, “You sure you don’t need any help taking this down tomorrow?”

Marcus shook his head. “Clarke and I have it handled. We’re only collecting her art, maintenance said they’d handle everything else.”

“Well, in case you need help,” Indra asked, “when are you taking it down? Mondays are usually slow.”

Marcus pulled his cellphone out, searching through text messages. He thought aloud, “Clarke has class in the morning, then practice right after. After practice she’s free, so we’re going to do it then.”

“Time?” Cage asked.

He looked closer at the texts, mumbling, “Class is until ten, practice is until one, so probably around two.”

Indra nodded and said, “Even if you don’t need help, we’ll come by with some Sunshine Café treats.”

Marcus could already feel his mouth watering. Even though it had only been two days since his last cinnamon roll from there, it felt like two years. He told them, “Then you’re invited!”

Indra rolled her eyes, saying, “I see where our friendship lies.”

Abby chuckled as Marcus threw his hands up, pointing at Indra as she smirked. He said, “You’re lucky we’re at a public event.”

“And if we weren’t?” She challenged, hand traveling to where her taser rested. She nodded towards Abby, adding, “We can test her question and convince you to upgrade to at least Amazon.”

Abby laughed more as Marcus frowned and waved her away, telling her, “You owe me _two_ cinnamon rolls tomorrow.”

Indra laughed and rolled her eyes, swatting his hand away. “Anything for my _best friend_ ,” she teased.

Abby laughed more, asking, “Did you guys used to work together?”

The duo looked to her and Marcus nodded and said, “We were partners in the Arkadia police force.”

“Unfortunately,” Indra interrupted, earning a glare from Marcus.

Ignoring her, Marcus added, “I was also partners with Cage. We were kind of a trio unit.”

She looked around the three, noticing the playful attitude between them. She smiled and asked, “And Indra was in charge of you two?”

Marcus looked down to his feet as Indra and Cage looked to each other. There was an awkward silence between the group. Abby felt as if she had set off a landmine. Did Indra not say she was chief of police?

Marcus looked up to Abby, sensing her confusion. He explained, “At the time, I was chief of police.”

The news caught her off guard. The way he had been talking all night, how he carried himself, she would have never guessed he was in the law force.

He answered the questions in her posture, saying, “I retired five years ago from an injury. I selected Indra to follow up as chief of police in my place.” He leaned a bit closer to her, whispering loud enough for Indra to still hear, “But I’m still in charge.”

Indra smacked him upside the head lightly as he laughed, ducking away from her. Abby smiled again, glad the awkward patch had passed. She shrugged a bit, confessing, “From the past few hours I would’ve never guessed that.”

“That’s because he’s grown soft after getting lost in art,” Indra commented.

Abby laughed more as Marcus threw her another glance over his shoulder. “You just can’t let me live for one second, can you?” He asked.

Indra smirked and said, “Nope.”

He rolled his eyes as he saw the art critics he invited walking over. He stood up tall, fixing his suit. Indra stepped back with Cage, standing at attention. The head of the pack stopped in front of Marcus, not saying anything as they made eye contact.

Marcus said, “Jaha.”

Jaha said back, “Marcus.”

It was silent after that for a while as Jaha looked around the room. He settled his attention back on Marcus, telling him, “The girl has a promising future in art. Keep steering her in the right direction.”

Marcus grinned and nodded as the two shook hands. Jaha left then, his group following close behind. The group watched as they left the art exhibit.

Abby looked back to Marcus, asking, “That was good, right?”

Marcus smiled and looked to Clarke, who stood on the far side of the exhibit with her friend group. He looked to Abby and said, “That was _very_ good. Jaha isn’t big on compliments, but when he gives them, he means them.”

Abby grinned as she watched her daughter. Raven had thrown her hands up in the air, yelling, “SUCCESS!” as she skimmed through the money box she had. The whole group laughed as they watched her.

Abby’s eyes roamed over the room once more, lingering on the Eden tree. Maybe things were on the rise again, just like the sketch indicated. They’ve slowly been getting better since Jake passed, little moments happening here and there, but this was the brightest moment of them all.

And she owed it to the one man who had helped her daughter find it.

She looked to Marcus, finding his gaze looking back at her, a proud smile adorning his face. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it, whispering, “Thank you."


	6. It’s just the number four drawn in a black sharpie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nanananananananananana plot time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> BUCKLE UP KIDDOS, THE ANGST AMPLIFIES FROM HERE ON OUT !!!

“ _Why”_ , Raven complained, “does nothing rhyme with orange? Another reason the color shouldn’t exist.”

Clarke and Lexa laughed at Raven’s comment. The three currently sat in their creative writing class. They were working on an assignment where they had to write two poems: one about something they loved and one about something they hated.

It seemed Raven was writing one about the color orange. You could guess which one it was for.

“You know,” Lexa replied, “the poem doesn’t have to rhyme, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Raven sighed, “but it’s annoying when it all rhymes _but_ that one line.”

“Then use that,” Clarke suggested. Seeing Raven’s confusion, Clarke added, “Add an interruption phrase or word and explain how nothing rhymes with it. I think that’d be pretty creative, especially if you end it like that.”

Raven thought over it, looking at her paper, taping a pen against the table. She nodded eventually, pointing her pen at Clarke, saying, “Smart. I’ll do that. There’s a reason you’re the art major.”

Clarke and Lexa laughed again. Clarke pointed out, “This is creative writing.”

“Close enough,” Raven said as she waved her off, continuing to write her poem.

The girls laughed again as the clock hit ten. They packed their bags up, leaving the classroom. Octavia was waiting outside in the hallway, leaning up against the wall. When they approached her, Lexa asked, “How’d the criminal law exam go?”

“Let’s just say,” Octavia replied as they began walking down the hall, “I might end up in jail after I get the score back.”

The group laughed as they exited Jefferson. Clarke asked, “Not good, I’m guessing?”

Octavia shook her head, annoyance and anger making its way to her face. She explained, “Professor Diana Sydney is _literally_ the worst professor on campus. She’s so one minded on everything. It’s her way or you’re wrong.”

“The test had open-ended essays didn’t it?” Lexa asked.

Octavia groaned but nodded. She told them, “There was three this time. She _always_ grades those the hardest. If your initial answer on how to solve a certain case or what something is isn’t her answer, even if there are multiple ways to approach things in a court system, it’s wrong. It doesn’t matter how you back it up.”

“What were they?” Clarke asked.

They entered the parking lot, all slowing to a stop as their cars were scattered across it. Octavia told her, “The first was a straight forward answer with stating evidence. You had to state the correct charges to place against someone. The second was slightly confusing in the sense you had to say if someone was guilty or not. There always isn’t enough evidence to base it off so you have to guess what it would be. The third was a shit show.”

Octavia shook her head and the girls could tell it wasn’t pleasant. They’ve heard many tragic stories about Professor Diana Sydney’s classes. Unfortunately, with their practice schedule, it was the only time slot Octavia could take.

She explained, “You were a defensive lawyer in the scenario. You had to decide, based on the evidence, what action your client should take. Should they plead guilty or go to trial? That question sucks because it’s mainly based on personal belief along with the evidence and what you believe you can do about the situation.”

Raven asked, “What was the scenario you were in?”

Octavia sighed, hating to think of it again. She said, “The man was being charged with kidnapping a little girl and murdering her. The only evidence they had was a witness report of sighting him with the girl, his hair at the scene where she was last seen, and the fact that he was the girl’s biological father. You also found out the mother won custody of the kid in the divorce because he could be violent.”

The girls took in the information. They all looked at each other and then back to Octavia. Clarke asked, “What did you pick?”

Octavia shrugged and said, “I stared at that question for ten minutes before finally choosing to fight it. There was no information given on what he would receive if he plead guilty instead of going to trial. There were no murder weapons found as the girl had apparently been stabbed. He also had an alibi saying after he left the scene where they were together, he got into a separate car and went to the bar. Overall, it’s a nightmare of a question and the longer I think about it, the more I want to key her car.”

The group laughed at that, Clarke saying, “Then let’s go before you act on that urge.”

“ _If_ you do it,” Raven commented, “and get arrested, I’ll be your lawyer. I can get you out of anything.”

Octavia replied dryly, “If you were my lawyer, I’d plead guilty.”

Everyone but Raven laughed as her mouth dropped in offense. She asked, “Why?!”

Octavia stated as if she should’ve already known, “You can bribe uptight art critics for all their money, but that’s as far as it goes. You can’t even bribe Coach to let you wear Addidas cleats instead of Nike. I don’t think your ‘talent’ will work on a judge.”

Raven looked offended as she crossed her arms, tilting her head. “Can’t hurt to try,” she said in her defense.

Octavia patted her on the shoulder, telling her, “I’ll save us both the trouble and the five minute trial it would be after the first sentence leaves your mouth.”

The girls laughed again as Raven shoved her hand away, sticking her tongue out at her. Her phone went off, and as she checked it, she said, “Gaia is waiting for me in her car. I’ll see you at practice! I’ll practice my opening speech on the way, Octavia!”

Octavia groaned as the others laughed as Raven ran off waving. As their laughter died down, Clarke looked to Octavia and said, “I had to park in the parking garage today cause my car wouldn’t start. I couldn’t risk being late, you’ve heard the horrors of Raven being late to Professor Pike’s class.”

“Oh,” Octavia said, smirking, “I’ve seen the videos.”

The girls laughed, watching as Raven disappeared in the row of cars. If you were late to Professor Pike’s class, you had to dance in front of the whole class to a song he chose. Raven had been late three times this semester so far. She got to “dance” to _Single Ladies_ , _YMCA_ , and _Baby_.

Yes, she was all over snapchat, and had even gone viral for her _Single Ladies_ dance.

“That’s fine,” Octavia said, “I’ll just hop a ride with Lexa. I know Professor Diana Sydney’s car is on the way to the parking garage and I don’t wanna fuel that fire.”

“You’ve passed it before?” Lexa asked, suspicious.

Octavia flashed her an innocent smile, saying, “I’ve seen her leave after class sometimes. I’ve had the urge to key her car many times. But,” she smiled wider after seeing the looks the two gave her, “I don’t want to give Raven an excuse to keep her lawyer charade up. See you at the field, Clarke.”

Clarke smiled at her as she turned to Lexa. Lexa teased her, asking, “Are you gonna be okay walking alone?”

Octavia snorted a laugh as Clarke playfully hit her on the arm, earning a laugh from her girlfriend. She smiled, teasing her back, “I’ll be _fine_. It’s not like someone will kidnap me. No need to be an overprotective girlfriend.”

Lexa pouted a bit, adding a whine to her voice as she said, “I just want to make sure my Clarkey is safe.” She reached out, pulling at one of Clarke’s cheeks.

Clarke slapped her hand away as Lexa broke out into laughter. Octavia was gagging in the background. Clarke had humor in her eyes as Lexa’s laughter calmed down. She told her, “You’re an ass.”

Lexa grinned, love shining across her features. “But you love me for it,” she said.

“Unfortunately, I do,” Clarke sighed. She laughed as Lexa shoved her hand in her face in response. Pushing it away and grabbing ahold of her hand, Clarke intertwined their fingers. Clarke leaned forward, placing a small but loving kiss on Lexa’s lips. “I love you,” she whispered to her.

Lexa smiled big, resting her forehead against Clarke’s. “I love you,” she whispered back as the two stared into each other’s eyes.

After a moment of silence, Octavia cleared her throat. The two looked to her as she pointed at the watch she wasn’t wearing. “We still have practice, lovebirds. Wrap it up. It’s not like you’ll see each other in ten minutes or anything,” she told them.

They laughed before looking back at each other. Giving each other another small kiss, Clarke told her, “See you at the field.”

“See you on the other side,” Lexa replied as the two separated.

Octavia walked off with Lexa, disappearing into the rows of cars. Clarke smiled to herself as she turned around, making her way towards the parking garage. On her way, she saw Professor Diana Sydney climbing into her car, and she couldn’t help but chuckle as she pictured Octavia running a key down the side of her car.

Crossing the road to the parking garage, Clarke noticed it wasn’t as busy as it usually is. Cars weren’t speeding around corners threatening to hit you, and there wasn’t anyone walking to or from their cars. She didn’t see anyone sleeping in their car either.

As she walked up the ramp to where her car was parked, a special parking spot she always parked in, she noticed a piece of paper flapping against her driver’s side window. People were always going around the parking garages placing advertisements on cars- one reason Clarke hated parking here.

Another reason was for the asshole who parked too close to her on the left side. No one was parked on the right side as it was a no parking zone. She even parked a little bit over the line into the zone in case assholes like this one parked too close.

When Clarke reached her car, she realized the paper on her window wasn’t an advertisement for a party or club. It was a single piece of notepad paper with four lines scribbled across it. As she took it from the window, she smelt the familiar scent of baked goods.

On the piece of paper, the four lines read:

_Today is the day_   
_when darkness wins_   
_The last light_   
_finally burns out_

+

“I don’t know why you’re complaining,” Gaia told Raven as they walked up to the locker room. “We’re not late.”

“No,” Raven admitted, “ _but_ we could’ve been here five minutes earlier. You know how long it is until that light turns green.”

“And,” Gaia retorted, “you know there’s a camera attached to the lights. You offering to pay the ticket I would get?”

Raven smiled innocently as they entered the locker room, music blasting from the speaker. They made their way over to the lockers, setting their stuff down. “I would fight it for you in court,” Raven told her.

Gaia raised an eyebrow at that. She asked, “Isn’t Octavia the law major?”

Raven waved it off, telling her, “I’m going to back her up in court when she keys her professor’s car. I got your back too.”

“Octavia is going to do what?”

The girls looked up from getting their socks out, seeing at that moment Coach Diyoza had walked by. She stopped in tracks after hearing Raven, raising an eyebrow at the duo.

“I am _not_ keying her car,” a new voice added in. All three heads turned to see Octavia walking into the locker room with Lexa. She added in after a thought, “No matter how much I want to.”

Diyoza asked, “Which professor?”

Octavia flopped down in her locker, throwing her bag in front of her. “Professor Diana Sydney.”

“ _Her?”_ Diyoza had distaste dripping with the word. She shook her head. “Since it’s so important to her that you use _both_ her first and last name, you _should_ carve it into her car.”

Raven lost it at that, dropping her shin guard as she laughed. Octavia smirked to herself as Diyoza winked at her, leaving the locker room to set up practice. Raven laughed a bit more as she picked her shin guard up, sliding it underneath the sock. “I’m so happy she’s our coach,” she said as she pushed it into place.

The girls continued to get ready, Lexa done before the rest of them. She was busy wrapping pre-wrap for her hair as her eyes wandered to Clarke’s still empty locker. Octavia noticed and told her, “She had to park in the parking garage, remember? Leaving there is a mess sometimes.”

Lexa nodded as she finished the knot on her headband. She fixed the edges and slipped it on, pulling her ponytail from underneath. A few minutes later, when the girls got up to warm up, Clarke still didn’t show up.

Everyone walked out of the locker room, chatting to each other as the three girls stayed behind, looking to where Lexa was watching Clarke’s locker. Lexa looked down to her phone, no messages or calls from Clarke. Raven reassured her, “She probably got stuck at that damn light. We should call in a complaint about that.”

“Oh yeah?” Gaia asked as they slowly made their way out of the locker room. “And how will you bribe them, miss lawyer?”

“The same way I bribed those art junkies!” She exclaimed, linking arms with Gaia as they exited the locker room. “With my charm!”

Octavia was close behind them, replying, “Expect the light to stay red longer then.”

Gaia laughed as Raven reached out to mess Octavia’s hair up. Lexa was following behind them silently, but stopped before she exited the locker room. She looked back over her shoulder, sparing one last glance at Clarke’s locker.

Immediately, a bad feeling spread through her. Clarke’s words rang through her mind, seeming less playful than intended. Diyoza yelling her name snapped her out of it and she painfully dragged her eyes from the locker. She ran out to the field to start warm ups.

_“It’s not like someone will kidnap me.”_

+

Clarke never showed up for practice.

Each passing second, each drill they advanced too, the bad feeling Lexa had grew. By the time they reached the end-of-practice scrimmage, she had to sit out she felt so sick. When asked what was wrong, she asked Diyoza if Clarke had contacted her.

She had not.

Lexa swore she had a heart attack right there and then. Diyoza told her she had figured Clarke had told one of them she was running late due to something with the art exhibit and they forgot to tell her. Lexa informed her Clarke hadn’t contacted her since they saw her last at the school, when they all were on their way to their cars for practice.

Diyoza ended practice early then, letting Lexa run to the locker room. Clarke’s locker was still empty. Nothing had been touched since they left for warm up. With shaky hands, she tore through her bag.

The other three girls entered the locker room slowly, watching as Lexa became more anxious with each second. Deciding to break the silence, Raven asked, “Lexa?”

Lexa stopped digging through her bag to look back at the three. She watched their eyes look at Clarke’s locker before looking back to her. She frowned and informed them, “Clarke didn’t contact Coach at all.”

She saw the dread come alive in each of them, them sharing looks in between each other. Lexa told them, “Check your phone to see if she contacted either of you during practice.”

Each did as they were told, searching for their phones. Lexa finally found hers and her heart beat faster as she noticed she had a text message. With shaky fingers, she unlocked her phone, finger posed over the notification.

When she opened it, her heart dropped. It was just a text from her group chat of friends back home. Other than that, she had no other notifications. There was nothing from Clarke.

The girls walked over to where Lexa sat in her locker, running her hands through her hair. Each confirmed they had no contact from Clarke, silence following within the group.

Octavia suggested, “Let’s try calling her.”

Everyone nodded and Lexa looked up to Octavia’s phone as she dialed Clarke. She set it to speaker and the ringing rang out in the empty locker room. It went to voicemail after the standard rings, Clarke’s voicemail saying, “Hi! This is Clarke Griffin! Sorry I missed your-”

Octavia hung up, saying, “Let’s try again.” She repeated the same procedure, Lexa’s heart dropping with each ring. Again, the call went to voicemail. Octavia shut it off before Clarke’s voicemail could talk.

Raven suggested, “Maybe there was an emergency with her mother? That’s happened before.”

Everyone nodded, faster this time, desperation of the situation settling in. Lexa decided to call her, nerves wrecking her core. She put Abby on speaker, heart beating faster each ring that passed.

Abby finally picked up on the fourth ring. “Lexa! What’s up, sweetie?”

Lexa smiled, it failing to stay for more than a second. “Hey, Abby. Is…Is everything okay at the hospital?”

There was a lot of sound in the background. Abby answered, “Yeah, everything’s fine. Why?”

Lexa froze a second, looking at the other three. Octavia reached over and laid a comforting hand on Lexa’s shoulder. Lexa’s free hand came to cover it, holding it tightly. She told Abby, “No reason. Has Clarke contacted you recently?”

Abby took a second longer to answer, trying to figure out where the conversation was going. She answered, “No, she hasn’t. Is everything alright, Lexa?”

Lexa swallowed hard as she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Jumping in, Raven spoke up, “Dr. Griffin? It’s Raven. Octavia and Gaia are here too.”

That information spiked Abby’s interest more. She said, “Okay, hello ladies. What’s happening?”

Raven looked around the ground before focusing on the phone again. “We’re just trying to see if Clarke had contacted anyone in the last two hours. She…She didn’t show up at practice,” Raven explained. Gaia’s hand came out and held hers, offering her support.

Abby was silent for a bit longer. Clarke had never missed a practice for college in her year and a half of being there. Checking her phone real quick in case she had missed anything, she saw Clarke had not contacted her. She told the girls, “She hasn’t. She hasn’t talked to you?”

Raven shook her head as Lexa’s shoulders sagged down. Raven’s voice cracked a bit as she said, “No, she hasn’t. Can you call her real quick? We’re going to go check a few other places to see if she just forgot to tell someone where she was.”

Abby bit her lip, the reality of the situation settling in a bit. “Okay,” she answered, “I’ll text you after I do.”

“Thanks, Abby,” Raven said.

Lexa hung the phone up, letting go a shaky breath. The girls could tell she was trying hard to keep back tears. Octavia rubbed her back, asking, “Where are we going?”

“I know Marcus said they were going to take down the art exhibit after practice,” Lexa added in, voice defeated. “She also parks in one special spot in the parking garage when she has to. We can check to see if she even left school.”

Raven nodded and added, “We can also check the apartment in case she needed to go back for some reason.”

“I’ll cover the apartment,” Octavia said. “I have to go there anyways for my history binder.”

Raven nodded and looked down to Lexa, who looked up to her. Raven asked her, “You got the parking spot? You can survey the roads and parking lots on your way there too.”

Lexa nodded and Raven looked to Gaia, saying, “That leaves us with Marcus. We’ll go to him and ask if he has had contact with her.”

Everyone nodded as Raven’s phone went off. Everyone’s eyes focused on it as she opened the text message. It was from Abby.

Raven clicked out of it, frowning as she looked to the girls. She shook her head, telling them, “She didn’t answer.”

+

“Raven, slow down!” Gaia yelled from behind her, chasing her.

“Speed up!” Raven yelled back as she fast walked through the halls. She had already gotten yelled at for running for knocking into someone, spilling their soup everywhere. By the look of it on the kid’s sweater, she figured she did him a favor.

Finally, Raven reached Marcus’ office. The door was shut and Raven threw her manners out of the window, flinging the door open. Marcus was startled as his door swung up, smacking against the cabinet it was next to.

He just prevented his coffee from spilling out of his infamous mug as he looked up. He wasn’t surprised to see it was Raven, Gaia catching up down the hall. He raised an eyebrow to her, asking, “And what do I owe the pleasure, Reyes?”

“No time for flirting,” Raven stated, making Marcus spit out the sip of coffee he had just taken, as she stormed inside. Gaia followed close behind, wincing along with Marcus as Raven slammed the door shut.

He frowned, setting his mug down, commenting, “If you break that door, you buy me a new one.”

Raven slammed her hands down on his desk, getting eye level with him. He was taken back, raising an eyebrow in her direction. “This is no time for jokes,” she told him.

He studied her for a moment. She was breathing hard, her hair strands loose from her ponytail, scattered everywhere. He guessed she had rushed here. Her fingers kept twitching, indicating she was getting restless. The most glaring observation was the fear he noted in her eyes.

“What happened?” He asked as he looked to Gaia, noticing the same body language in her.

Ignoring his question, Raven asked him her own, “Has Clarke contacted you in the last two hours?”

He fell silent at that. He certainly wasn’t expecting that. He shook his head, pulling his phone out. He looked it over and shook his head again. “No, she hasn’t.”

“Shit,” Raven mumbled under her breath. She looked back to Gaia and the two frowned more.

Marcus noticed and asked again, “What happened? I’m supposed to meet Clarke in an hour.”

Raven slowly looked back to Marcus, backing off his desk. She fell into one of the two chairs in front of his desk, sighing loudly. She told him, “Clarke missed practice today. She hasn’t contacted anyone since we saw her last in the parking lot.”

Marcus fell silent at the information. He certainly didn’t think that was what Raven was going to tell him. His mind began to race as he asked, “Not even her mom?”

Gaia shook her head and said, “We already asked her.”

He swore under his breath. He could only imagine the thoughts and emotions Abby was having right now. He pulled Clarke’s contact up, calling her. Just like it did with the girls, it went to voicemail after the standard amount of rings.

Raven noticed and said, “We’ve all tried contacting her and got the same response.”

Marcus shook his head and thought aloud, “What could have happened…”

At that moment, both Gaia and Raven’s phone went off. In their group chat with Lexa, Octavia, and Clarke, Octavia had texted inside. Shaking her head in disappointment, she informed Marcus of the message, “She’s not at the apartment complex.”

He looked down, folding his hands together. He asked, “Where’s Lexa?”

“She’s checking the parking garage where Clarke had to park,” Raven told him.

Gaia explained, “We’re trying to check if she left at all.”

Marcus nodded, understanding. If the fields, him, her mom, and the apartment were a dead end, they better hope her car was still on campus. If it was gone, she could be anywhere.

At that moment, Raven’s phone blared her ringtone. Seeing the caller ID, Raven sat up straight in the chair, hope lighting her features. She told the group, “It’s Lexa,” as she answered and put her on speaker. “Hey Lex, we’re with Marcus. It’s a dead end though, she hasn’t contacted him either.”

“Damn it, really?” Octavia’s voice rang out, indicating that Lexa had connected their calls for a group call.

Lexa laughed a bit, causing the office to look at each other in confusion. Sounding as if tears were threatening to break free from the strain in her voice, she said, “Perfect. That’s perfect.”

Raven set her phone on Marcus’ desk, Gaia coming to sit by Raven as the two sitting inched closer to the phone. Gaia asked, “Lexa? Is everything okay?”

There was a loud sigh on the other end from Lexa. She informed the group, “Her car is here.”

There was a collective sigh of relief from the office room and Octavia. “But,” Lexa informed, cutting the relief short, “her phone is here by the car.”

Silence rang out between all three lines. The three in the office looked at each other, confusion spreading between them. Octavia concluded, “So, that’s why she hasn’t contacted anyone.”

Thinking ahead, Marcus told Lexa, “Don’t touch the phone.”

“I haven’t,” Lexa’s voice broke a bit.

Raven thought aloud, “That must mean she’s on campus. But how would she lose her phone?”

“Um…” Lexa’s voice broke her train of thought.

“Yes?” Octavia prompted.

“There’s a…uh…a piece of paper by her phone,” Lexa informed the gang.

“A piece of paper?” Gaia asked, confused.

“Two, actually,” Lexa informed them.

The group looked at each other, Raven shrugging. She asked, “What do they say?”

Marcus felt dread enter his system the moment Lexa mentioned the pieces of paper. His mind flashed back to the note that hit him in the face when he was with Clarke a few days ago.

There was a shuffling sound as Lexa moved to view the pieces of paper. She bent over, looking at them. She told them, “The first is kind of…creepy.”

“Creepy?” Octavia asked, the ones in the office feeling the shiver of dread in her voice.

“Yeah,” Lexa replied. “It looks like a poem.”

The dread Marcus felt at the mention of the papers amplified. The girls in the room didn’t seem to notice as Raven told her, “Read it.”

Lexa paused for an extra minute, feeling uncomfortable. Everyone on the other lines could feel that as she read it aloud to them, “Today is the day when darkness wins. The last light finally burns out.”

In the office, everyone shared a look of confusion, but the girls noticed the look of fear in Marcus’ eyes. With each new piece of information about the paper, Marcus’ heart beat faster. The other note Cage had found in his classroom flashed in his mind.

Not questioning him yet, Raven kept her eyes on him, commenting, “That _is_ creepy.”

Octavia mumbled over the line, “And hella disturbing.”

The girls in the office nodded, agreeing. Marcus didn’t respond, his eyes glued on the phone, waiting for information on the other piece of paper. Gaia asked, “What about the other?”

There was shuffling heard as Lexa moved to get a better view of the second piece of paper. Confusion laced her voice as she told them, “It’s just the number four drawn in a black sharpie.”

Marcus’ heart dropped and he dropped his head in his right hand. Slowly, he dragged it down his face and through his head beard, shaking his head. The two girls in his office saw, both asking him, “What?”

He threw his hands up, smiling a bit in confusion and disbelief, a small breathless laugh escaping him. He shook his head, swearing suddenly, anger overcoming him. The girls flinched back a bit as Octavia asked over the phone, “What is it?”

He sat back in his chair, looking to the two girls in his office. They recognized the shift in his mood and their hearts dropped. Lexa prompted him as well, asking, “Does that mean something?”

He took a deep breath before letting out slowly. He couldn’t believe it. There hadn’t been any clues for six months. The three cases had been cold. This cracked them back wide open.

He looked to the phone for a second, gathering the courage to deliver the news. He sighed again as he looked to the girls sitting before him. He shook his head, heart breaking as he told them, “Clarke’s been kidnapped."


	7. Begin our hunt for the Dusk Till Dawn Abductor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ITS ALL ABOUT THE CONNECTIONS BABY !!!!!!!
> 
> ps - updates may slow down as college has started and finding time to write while the semester is in session is hella hard. do not fret, this story will be finished !!

_“Clarke’s been kidnapped.”_

Abby wasn’t sure what she was expecting to hear when Raven called her, but it certainly wasn’t that. It wasn’t even Raven who had told her, it was Marcus. The girls were too emotional, Abby could hear Raven crying and shouting in the background with Gaia trying to calm her down, so Marcus was the lucky one to deliver the news.

_“Raven,” Abby answered. “What’s going on? Did you find her?”_

_When Raven heard Abby’s voice, she broke down more, tears pouring from her eyes. Gaia reached over, pulling Raven into her side as a shield. Rubbing her shoulder, Raven said, “How in the world do I tell her that?”_

_Gaia looked over to Marcus who was watching Raven with heartbroken eyes. Abby had heard that, fear lacing her voice as she asked, “Tell me what? Raven?”_

_Raven sobbed at the desperation in Abby’s voice and Gaia shook her head as she rested it on Raven’s. Tears glistened her own eyes as Raven whispered, “I can’t. I can’t deliver that news.”_

_“ **What** news?” Abby was growing more anxious by the second, half yelling the question. Doctors around her looked over to her and she turned away, their glances not helping her mood. “ **Tell me**.”_

_Marcus’s heart broke hearing the inevitable heartbreak waiting in Abby’s voice. He looked back to Raven and Gaia, watching as Gaia whispered reassuring things to Raven, rubbing her back as the girl cried into her._

_Marcus looked back to the phone and sighed, saying, “Abby? It’s Marcus.”_

_Abby felt a little bit of relief hearing his voice. Maybe he would deliver good news. He had to right? “Marcus,” Abby said a bit more calm, “what’s going on? Did they find her?”_

_He heard the hope in her voice and it shattered his already broken heart. How could he break the news to her, who he had only formally met a day ago, that her daughter had been kidnapped? Even more so if her kidnapping had any connection to the three cold cases?_

_He finally spoke up, voice strained, “Abby…”_

_She noticed. She noticed the strain in his voice, she noticed the pause, she noticed the hesitation. Her hope shattered, the Eden tree in her heart, like the sketch, started to burn. Tears leaked into her eyes as she waited for the news._

_He sighed shakily, running a hand through his beard. His eyes rested on the two girls again, watching as they cried silently. When he had said the news over the phone with Octavia and Lexa, he heard one of their phones drop in shock. He then heard Lexa break down in the parking garage._

_After they hung up, Lexa said she was going to stay at the scene as she called the police. Marcus told her to ask for Indra and to inform her about the number. Lexa didn’t understand but Marcus assured her Indra would. Octavia told the group she would meet them at the police station._

_Looking back to the phone, Marcus gathered the courage he had and told her, “Clarke’s been kidnapped.”_

_Abby stopped fiddling with her pen as the words processed in her brain. She stared ahead at nothing, zoning out. All noise that was going on in the hospital canceled out and turned into a constant ringing. She didn’t respond, she didn’t know how to respond._

_Clarke, her daughter, the only thing keeping her sane every day since Jake passed away, was gone. Not even gone, she was **somewhere** but not **here**. Somehow, that hurt worse. Knowing she was out there, but not knowing where, tore Abby’s heart apart. _

_A loud “ **FUCK!** ” rang out over the phone, snapping Abby out of her trance. She registered it as Raven as she heard Gaia shushing her. _

_Swallowing her nerves, noticing her hands were shaking, Abby sighed slowly. A single tear fell down her cheek as she asked, “H-How do you know?”_

_Marcus was silent for a minute, thinking how to answer. He settled for telling her, “It’s hard to explain over the phone. Can you meet us at the police station? Indra may be able to fill you in better.”_

_Abby looked at the clock, noticing she was supposed to have a surgery in two hours. Looking to her hand that was holding the pen and noticing how hard she was shaking, she knew she wouldn’t be able to perform it; especially, with the mindset she was in._

_She closed her eyes, another tear escaping. She said, “I’ll be there.”_

After that, she had hung up. She couldn’t bear to hear Raven yell more explicits, hear the shaky reassurances from Gaia, and the silence from Marcus. It took all her strength to not collapse to the floor in the middle of the hospital. With shaky hands, she put the phone away and turned around to face her co-workers, who were now watching her.

She saw the questions in their eyes, the confusion on their faces, and the worry in their body language. She offered them a weak smile as another tear escaped. She felt her mouth wavering as she threatened to break down. She walked up to her top surgeon on her team, Emori, telling her with a tight voice, “I have to leave. There’s been a…an emergency.”

Emori and the rest of the team noticed the crack in her voice. Emori frowned, questions swirling in her eyes but she knew not to ask. Instead, she grabbed Abby’s hand, trying to stop the shaking. She told her, “We got it here. I’ll do the surgery and we’ll update you as soon as it’s done.”

Abby nodded, thankful. She looked at Emori once more, cracking a small smile that fell the second it appeared. Emori squeezed her hand again, eyes determined now. She whispered, “Keep me updated, okay?”

Abby nodded and looked at the rest of her team. They wore the same determined expressions Emori had. Another small smile appeared on her face and this time it stayed. It was an appreciative one as she refocused on Emori. She whispered back, “Thank you.”

Emori just nodded and squeezed her hand once more before dropping it. Abby nodded back and walked past her team and down the hall. She waited until she was outside in the parking lot to break out into a sprint towards her car.

Her mind was racing with questions as she ran past the row of cars. Why would anyone kidnap Clarke? Who would? What was their motive? How did Marcus know right away she _was_ kidnapped? _Why?_

When she reached her car, she scrambled for the keys in her purse, her confusion beginning to turn into anger. _Who_ in the world would kidnap someone’s daughter? What possible reason could one use to justify stealing another human for their own personal gain? Just _why?_

Abby slammed her car door shut after she climbed in, starting the car. As she peeled out of her parking spot, she caught sight of herself in the rearview mirror. Her hair was a mess, her makeup smeared the tiniest bit from her tears, and the emotions were brewing up a storm in her eyes.

Her heart was beating fast as she sped off through the parking lot. Her grip around the steering wheel tightened. Her teeth clenched together as rage seeped through her bones. Tears had pooled in her eyes and now flowed down her cheeks freely.

Whoever it was, and for whatever reason, they were going to pay. When Abby got a hold of them, they would learn to regret ever laying a hand on Clarke.

+

Marcus watched the call end, the time of the call blinking until it faded to Raven’s background. Marcus felt his already shredded heart break more as he noticed it was a picture of the five in their soccer uniforms. His eyes stayed for a second longer on Clarke’s smiling face before he felt the resolution inside him come to.

He failed the other three, but he would not fail Clarke.

He stood up, his chair flying back and hitting the wall behind him. It scared the two still wrapped up, drawing their eyes to him. Marcus looked to them, telling them with a stern voice, “We will find Clarke.”

“How are you so sure?”

The broken question came from Raven. Gaia let her go and each receded to their own chair. Marcus looked to her, raising an eyebrow. He asked her, “Have you, Raven Reyes, ever given up on anything?”

Raven seemed taken back by the question, casting a glance at Gaia. She had looked over to her as well, not knowing where it came from either. Looking back to Marcus, she shook her head. “No,” she answered, trying to stop the waver in her voice.

Marcus looked over to Gaia, nodding towards Raven. He asked her, “And you, Gaia, have you ever let her?” Gaia felt a bit of defense grow in her as she shook her head. He added, “And have you ever not given up either?” Again, Gaia shook her head. She sat up straight, wiping at her eyes.

He looked at the two, saying, “This is horrible news. There’s no way to spin this as a positive. That doesn’t mean we have to sit and wallow in it. We can go out there and search and _find_ her.”

Raven nodded, smiling big through her tear coated eyes. She wiped at her eyes and shook her head. Gaia did the same, wiping at her cheeks with her shirt sleeve. Both focused on Marcus, a new fire in their eyes.

Marcus offered them a sad smile now. He told them, “You’re allowed to be upset. You’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to be angry. But you are _not_ allowed to do nothing. You cannot sit and act like we’ll never find her. Because I promise we will.”

Raven grinned bigger, standing up. She looked to Gaia as she stood up, the same grin on her face. The two shared an understanding and looked to Marcus. Raven smirked more, telling him, “Clarke never gave up on us when Gaia first transferred. We couldn’t get along over anything. Our coach about gave up trying to get us to work together.”

“Then Clarke interfered when it got ugly between us during a practice,” Gaia continued, shifting Marcus’ attention to her. “It seemed pointless trying to fix the rivalry between us, the outcome seemed bleak. But Clarke didn’t care, she kept trying and trying to fix it. At that practice, she finally cracked the code.”

Raven smiled a bit to herself, finishing the story, “We were never allowed to be on the same team because they thought we would hash it out finally. They were wrong—it made it worse. Clarke figured it out. She figured out we were so focused on out doing the other and trying reign superior, that putting us on the same team would force us to put that rivalry aside and we would have to work together.”

Raven shook her head, smile sad now. She said, “When we were put on the same team, we obliterated every other team. Due to that rivalry, we had learned each other’s weaknesses and strengths. We knew each other’s game plans inside and out. I could predict what she was going to and she could guess what I was going to do.”

Gaia chuckled a bit, smiling over to Raven. She said, “Lexa called it a match made in heaven, except two devils were caught up there. Clarke sat us down after that practice and pointed it out. She said the only thing preventing us from using that pairing to our fullest was a rivalry that didn’t exist anymore. We were on the same team. We were falcons, not a panther and falcon.”

Raven grinned and grabbed Gaia’s hand. She told Marcus, “Clarke didn’t give up on us. Sure, there were moments she would yell at us during practice and she would complain to Lexa, but in the end, she never gave up making us the best we could be. We owe it to her to do the same.”

“And that’s by finding her,” Gaia concluded, squeezing Raven’s hand.

Marcus smiled and said, “Exactly. Now, go meet Abby at the police station. Make sure she doesn’t kill anyone.”

“Harder done than said,” Raven commented, watching as Marcus grabbed his mug, looking around. She asked, “You’re not coming?”

Not finding anywhere he could dump his coffee, he settled for the trashcan. The girls jumped back a bit as the contents splashed in the garbage bag. He set the mug down, shaking his head. “I’m going to go to the art exhibit in case. Meet me there with Indra and Abby.”

They nodded watching Marcus open the cabinet behind him and pulling out a small bottle. Both raised an eyebrow in question as they watched Marcus pour whiskey into his mug. Screwing the cap back on and throwing it in the cabinet, he turned to them, picking his infamous mug up.

He tilted it towards them, saying before taking a sip, “I’m gonna need something stronger than coffee to get through this.”

“That makes two of us,” Raven said, stealing his mug after he took a drink. She downed the rest of the contents, Marcus watching as he swallowed his own. She smacked it on the desk, telling him, “Get your refill and we’ll meet you at the art exhibit.”

With that, Raven stormed out, dragging Gaia close behind her. The door shut behind them as Marcus got his bottle back out. He lifted the mug, however, looking for any cracks. He sighed when he found no cracks or scratches.

+

“How will we know when she gets here?”

“MOVE!”

“I think we just found out.”

Raven and Lexa had turned to the front entrance, where the yell had come from. Octavia and Gaia were outside, waiting for Abby to arrive. The two were rushing towards them, scared expressions on each. Raven opened her mouth to ask where Abby was when Abby pushed through the doors next, charging towards them like a bull.

Raven pulled Gaia in front of her, peaking out behind her shoulder as Abby stopped in front of them. The girls noticed she was in her scrubs, indicating she was scheduled for a surgery. They could only guess the state she was in before she got the call from them, and how their call amplified it.

“Where’s Indra? Marcus?” Abby demanded, looking around.

Lexa observed her, noticing the fear mixed with anger in her voice. She reached out, taking her hand. Abby’s eyes snapped to their hands then back up to Lexa. Lexa told her, “Indra will be here soon, she’s finishing up at the scene. Marcus went to the art exhibit in case Clarke showed up there.”

The ‘in case’ sent Abby’s heart racing again, as did the word ‘scene’. Where was the scene? What was there? Was there blood? Was it Clarke’s? Her mind was racing again like it was in the car.

Lexa immediately noticed and grabbed Abby’s hands tighter. Drawing her attention back to her, Lexa told her, “Everything is fine. Clarke is fine.”

“Fine?” Abby snapped a bit, narrowing her eyes. “She’s _missing_ , probably kidnapped. How can she possibly be fine?”

Lexa frowned, taking the hit. She didn’t back down, seeing the worry grow in Abby’s eyes at her own words. She told her, “I meant in the fact that the scene wasn’t violent. We know she’s fine in that sense.”

Abby felt like she had been slapped and she replayed her response back in her head. Instantly feeling regretful, tears gathered in her eyes as she looked to Lexa. Her voice broke as she told her, “I’m sorry, Lexa. I didn’t mean to snap at you, it’s just everything is a mess right now. I can’t think straight. All I can think about is Clarke and I…I don’t even know, I…”

Lexa shook her head, squeezing her hand as she felt Abby shake as she spoke. “Don’t you dare apologize,” she told her. “It’s understandable. None of us know how to react.”

Raven nodded from behind Gaia, saying, “The wound is still fresh. But that doesn’t mean we won’t find Clarke. No matter how long it takes, we’ll find her.”

Abby smiled at the girl cowering behind Gaia. She looked to each girl standing there, seeing the determination in their eyes. Landing her attention back on Lexa, she told her, “Thank you.”

Lexa smiled back, eyes shimmering in comfort. She gave her hand another squeeze, saying, “Always.”

At that moment, the front entrance flung open. Indra strode in, flanked by many cops. She immediately began shouting instructions, cops scattering across the station. Indra’s eyes landed on their group and she made her way to them, Cage close behind.

She offered Abby a small smile, greeting them, “Ladies. Let’s go in the room over there. We can talk there.”

All nodded as Indra and Cage led the way. Lexa pulled Abby along as she watched the scene around her. Everyone in the police station was in a rush, shouting commands to each other, passing papers, and writing stuff down. Abby’s heart swelled a bit in appreciation. Was that all for Clarke?

When they got inside, Indra shut the door. She nodded towards the seats, telling them, “Have a seat.”

As they sat down, Raven caught sight of Cage’s face. She asked him, “What happened to you?”

Everyone’s attention turned to look at Cage whose shoulders sagged visibly. He had a giant cut on his lip, fresh. He coughed a bit, embarrassment lacing his voice, telling her, “I’m fighting a raccoon that won’t leave my shed.”

“I’m guessing you lost this battle?” She asked.

He shuffled his feet, embarrassment blossoming across his cheeks slightly. The moment lightened the mood in the room a tad until Indra set an evidence bag on the table. Everyone grew serious as their eyes zoned in on the bag.

Inside was Clarke’s phone.

Abby almost broke down at the sight of it. As long as Clarke had her phone, then she could’ve contacted them. They could’ve tracked it. Not having it made the search harder, it made Abby believe Clarke felt alone.

Indra explained, “This was the only evidence left by her car besides the two notes. Those are currently on their way down to the forensics lab. This will follow with them to be tested for fingerprints. Some cops stayed back to examine the car more.”

Abby nodded, releasing a shaky breath. Lexa was still holding her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. She looked to Indra, telling her, “Marcus…Marcus told me you would be able to fill me in more about how you know…that Clarke was kidnapped. Do you have any leads?”

Indra and Cage looked at each other. Indra nodded and Cage opened a file he was holding. He shifted through the papers until he grabbed three. He laid them on the table, spreading them out into a line so each could be seen.

“No way,” Raven whispered as she examined the three photos.

The first picture was Jasper Jordan.

Indra pointed at Jasper’s picture, stating, “Jasper Jordan went missing roughly one year ago. After starting a brawl at your game at Polis, Marcus took him home for safety concerns. Later that night, he was kidnapped. The case immediately went cold.”

Indra’s hand moved to the next picture. She told them, “This is Monty Green. He went missing three months after Jasper did. He was Jasper’s roommate. Marcus had him in his art history class. He went missing after a study session at night with Marcus. The only evidence of the kidnapping was a piece of paper with a number 2 written in sharpie. The case went cold just as fast as Jasper’s.”

Cage set the bag with the piece of paper from Monty’s case down in front of his picture. They all leaned over to examine it. It resembled the one just like Lexa had found by the car. She said that aloud, looking to Indra, “It’s the same as the one I found by Clarke’s car.”

Abby looked to Lexa at that, hope growing that they may have a connection. Indra confirmed that, saying, “It is. Just a different number.”

Indra moved her hand to the last picture of the three. She informed them, “This is Harper McIntyre. She went missing three months after Monty did, six after Jasper. She was taking a self-defense class Marcus teaches during the summer. She always stayed after to talk with Marcus about campus security. She was kidnapped one night after a class. The evidence for her was a piece of paper with a three on it and the video coverage of it happening. We can’t see the assailant’s identity but we can see Harper puts up a fight before whoever it is finally wins; however, this case went cold fast as well.”

The paper from her scene is identical to Monty’s, as is the handwriting. Riffling through a new folder, Cage pulls out another piece of paper and lies it besides Harper’s image. It’s Clarke’s image. Abby instinctively grasped Lexa’s hand tighter, which she receives a comforting squeeze in return.

Indra explained, “This is Clarke Griffin. She went missing today, six months after these cases went cold. Left behind are those two notes and her cellphone. One note contains a creepy poem and the other contains the number four, drawn just like these two. With this evidence, we feel that whoever kidnapped these three, also kidnapped Clarke.”

Abby looked between the three original missing kids. Their cases had went cold almost instantly. Would that happen with Clarke? There was barely anything at the crime scene, just like the others. What could they possibly go off?

As if reading her mind, Indra said, “There isn’t much evidence to go off. There were no fingerprints on the pieces of paper left at Monty’s and Harper’s scenes. We’re hoping the abductor slipped up this time and there will be.”

“So,” Abby said after gathering in all the information, “you think, whoever kidnapped these three, also kidnapped Clarke?” Indra nodded as Abby looked back to the pictures. Abby added aloud as a thought, “Who are you?”

“We’ve given them the name ‘Dusk Till Dawn Abductor’,” Cage spoke up, drawing the eyes to him. He added in, “They have only kidnapped people during the night.”

“But,” Indra intercepted, drawing the eyes back to her, “they kidnapped Clarke in the middle of the day. That throws the confirmation of it being them off slightly, but the note is too big of a coincidence to not be them.”

“What does that mean then?” Octavia asked. “If they kidnapped Clarke in the middle of the day?”

Indra told her, “It means that the Dusk Till Dawn Abductor acted out of their usual tactics. Their usual tactics with kidnapping had worked, the cases went cold. Why did they switch it up? Did they plan to kidnap her at night and it didn’t go as planned? Did they make a rash decision?”

Everyone looked at each other, thinking it over. It made sense if their tactics were working, why would they act outside them? Something caused them to act out of it. They made a mistake.

Indra saw their faces and nodded, adding, “It was a mistake on their part. This mishap means they’re scrambling on their side. This won’t be the only slip up they make, and we intend to use that to our advantage as we search for them.”

Abby felt hope surge inside her. Reaching out, she grabbed her daughter’s picture. Bringing it close, she observed it. She recognized the blonde hair, blue eyes, and bright smile her daughter had. It brought her back to the last time she saw her daughter.

_Everyone had just left the art exhibit, Clarke standing alone in front of the “PRAIMFAYA” sketch. She was looking up at it, smiling as her eyes stayed on the Eden tree._

_Clarke felt her presence before she stood beside her. Looking over her shoulder, she found her mom standing at the entrance. The two smiled at each other as Abby made her way over beside her. The two stood there in silence as they observed the sketch._

_After a few moments of silence, Abby broke it, saying, “This was my favorite art work.”_

_Clarke drew her gaze from the Eden tree to her mother. She replied, “It’s also Marcus’ favorite.”_

_“So he told me,” Abby said, smiling. Abby looked to her daughter as well, smiling more when they made eye contact. “I told him my interpretation of your inspiration behind it.”_

_Abby saw the anxiety flash across Clarke’s eyes as she asked, “What did you say?”_

_Abby’s smile only grew, turning fond. She looked back to the sketch, folding her hands behind her back. She told her, “I told him how you used to plant lilies with your father. I saw the lilies in the background, with the purple hiding in the black ashes.”_

_Abby saw her daughter bow her head, take a deep breath, and then look back up. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl holding tears back. Reaching out, she grabbed onto her hand, squeezing it. Clarke squeezed back._

_Abby continued, “Then I told Marcus how we planted an Eden tree in your father’s honor. He loved hearing that. He said that and all the details of the sketch gave him another appreciation for it.”_

_Clarke smiled, one tear escaping. She chuckled a bit, looking to her mom, saying, “He told you his infamous advice didn’t he? About not missing the tiny details?”_

_Abby laughed as she looked to her daughter. She nodded and they both laughed. Abby teased her, “You art junkies are something else.”_

_That earned another laugh from Clarke as Abby watched her. She looked like a goddess as she laughed, eyes closed, head tilting back. Looking back to the sketch, it fell silent between them again._

_After a while, Clarke told her, “Marcus’ interpretation was always about the resilience of the Eden tree surviving a death wave. That was a part of it, yes, but it wasn’t the main reason behind it.”_

_Abby’s eyes drifted over the black lines trailing their way to the Eden tree and then to the plaque beside the sketch. The description was a quote Abby had told her daughter many times: “ **Hope is everything** ”._

_“He didn’t follow his own advice,” Abby stated as her eyes went back to the slightly fading color scheme she had noticed earlier in the night._

_Clarke chuckled at her mother’s comment, asking, “Did you catch it?”_

_Abby reached up with her free hand, pointing at the black trails of the death wave. She told her, “You can see the death wave becoming lighter or fading as it approaches it the Eden tree. It shows the hope radiating off the Eden tree, destroying the bad things in its path as it grows back its strength.”_

_Clarke grinned big, the hand her mom was holding shaking slightly. Looking to her daughter, Abby saw the tear fall down Clarke’s cheek. Reaching up, Clarke wiped at the tears but too many were falling now. Turning to face her daughter, Abby reached over and wiped one she had missed._

_Clarke looked over to her mother then, Abby cupping her cheek as they both smiled in understanding at each other. Clarke told her, voice cracking, “Spot on.”_

_Abby laughed a bit, her own shield breaking for the first time in years. Tears flooded her eyes and one escaped down her cheek. She pulled her daughter in for a hug, rubbing her back as she felt the tears fall down her own cheeks._

_They stayed embraced in silence for a while. Neither said a word because neither had to. The silence, the hug, the tears, and the sketch said it all._

_When they pulled apart, Abby wiped the last few of her daughter’s tears away. After they disappeared, she cupped her daughter’s face gently, smiling fondly at her. She whispered, “He would be so proud of you. Always remember that.”_

_Clarke smiled big and nodded. Abby smiled more and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on her daughter’s forehead. When she pulled back, she added, “ **I’m** so proud of you. You continue to amaze me every day.”_

_Clarke smiled more, crushing her mother into another hug. Abby hugged her daughter close and tight, closing her eyes as she sank into the hug. Clarke whispered to her, “Thank you, Mom. I love you.”_

_Abby’s heart swelled and she hugged Clarke tighter. She whispered back, “I love you too, sweetie.”_

After that, they both left the art exhibit and separated ways. They promised to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate at Red Robin. The girls were going to be there as were Bellamy and Murphy. Marcus was planning to go. Clarke was excited to get her milkshake.

Those plans were no longer available.

Abby looked up to Indra, seeing her watch her with a look of sympathy and determination. She looked to Cage, seeing the same expression. She looked each of the girls, seeing rage mixed with fear, sadness, and determination. Setting the picture back down, Abby nodded to herself as the Eden tree came into her mind.

“Hope is everything,” Abby said finally.

The girls instantly recognized the phrase, smiles breaking across their faces. Indra smirked to herself, remembering it from the art exhibit. Standing tall, Indra crossed her arms, saying, “And we’ll use that little bit of hope to find your daughter.”

Abby grinned, her gratitude radiating off it. She had to stop the Eden tree in heart from burning anymore. She had to stay optimistic and get her daughter back, no matter what.

Indra asked her, “She was supposed to be with Marcus right now, right? Taking down the art exhibit?”

Everyone nodded and Indra smiled, saying, “Then let’s go there. We’ll see if anything is there, collect Marcus, and begin our hunt for the Dusk Till Dawn Abductor. From there, we’ll find Clarke.”

Everyone stood up then, getting rides sorted. Abby felt the hope inside, she felt it growing, but the push back of the death wave was strong. It wasn’t going to be easy to defeat, it already clawing back at the positive attitude she just proclaimed.

The journey of finding Clarke wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to be bumpy, full of potholes designed to hurt. It was going to have detours, steering them off track and lead them into dead ends. But eventually, after enduring all those roadblocks, they would reach the end of their journey.

And at the end of that journey would be Clarke.


	8. You’d be surprised how much evidence gets discarded there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and the scooby doo gang starts their adventure ! what evidence shall we find today ???? or have we already found some ??
> 
> ps- again, updates will slow down after this chapter. i hope to update as often as I can but it wont be weekly anymore ): soccer college life is ruff

Marcus didn’t tend to like filling his infamous mug with whiskey. No matter how much he washed it, the lingering taste of the whiskey mixed with his next morning’s coffee. Not a good mixture or cure for his hangover.

He currently sat on one of the benches located in Clarke’s art exhibit. He had come here after talking with Raven and Gaia, hoping to find Clarke taking down her art. Or just anything that would lead him to her. His hope was crushed when his search came up blank.

Now, he sat before another sketch of Clarke’s as he took another sip of his whiskey. This one was titled, “WANHEDA: COMMANDER OF DEATH”.

The sketch took place in a grocery store, down one particular aisle. There were two people in the sketch, both walking opposite ways down the aisle, passing by each other. Their shoulders were brushing as they passed each other. The part that gave the sketch its title was the wave of death radiating off one of the girls.

It swarmed her like a fading shadow, growing more in detail towards where their shoulders touched. It seeped into the other girl then, slowly killing her. The sketch showed the area around the point of contact slowly turning into a skeleton.

It spread like flames into the girl’s body. The detail was grueling. You could see the flesh burning on the far ends where it was still spreading, and you could see the details of the bones where it had already passed by.

Downing another gulp of whiskey, Marcus reached into his coat pocket. Digging around, he pulled a crumbled piece of paper out. Unfolding it with his free hand, his eyes found the poem written across it.

_She is whisked away in the darkness,_   
_never to see the light again._   
_For she is the key_   
_to the demise of another’s light_

Glancing back up at the sketch before him, the words left a bad taste in his mouth. To try and wash it away, he drained the rest of his mug’s contents. The burn down his throat did nothing to soothe the unwavering nagging at the back of his mind.

How did he not see the signs the moment that poem hit him in the face when with Clarke? Was that a sign? If Clarke was the key, whose light was she going to burn out?

The questions remained unanswered as more formulated in his mind. Too many questions, not enough time, no answers. It was a cycle he had been in before, three times to be exact. They ended all the same—a dead end with more questions.

Crumbling the note back up, he shoved it back into his coat pocket. Reaching inside his coat this time, he pulled a flask out. Refilling his mug, he tried to get rid of the nagging by reminding himself of the strength he gave to Raven and Gaia earlier. If anyone had to be strong to show them there was positive outcome, even if he didn’t see one yet, it was him.

Closing his flask once he filled his mug to the brim, he slid it back into his inside pocket, taking a small sip. When he lowered the mug from his lips, the door to the exhibit flung open. He didn’t have to turn around to know who entered but he did anyways, watching as Indra lead the group inside.

Standing up from the bench, he met them halfway, his eyes immediately finding Abby. Her appearance broke his heart. Her hair was a mess, makeup smeared, and eyes lit with fear.

Indra’s voice drew his attention to her as she asked, “Did Clarke ever show up?”

Again, his eyes found Abby’s. He saw the glimmer of hope, registering the fact he was going to shatter it with his next word. “No,” he said, voice tight and low.

He watched as the hope shattered in her eyes and crumbled into panic. Lexa, who stood next to her, squeezed the hand she was holding. Abby took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly.

Indra nodded towards the group, telling them, “Search around, just in case. Report back in five.”

Cage walked off with Indra into the other room as Raven and Gaia went towards the entrance stand. Lexa looked over to Abby, telling her, “I’m going to go with Octavia. Marcus will be with you.”

Abby just nodded, looking everywhere but into anyone’s eyes. Marcus could tell she was trying to uphold a positive front but was failing. Lexa looked over to Marcus, and he nodded to her, letting her know he would look after her.

Lexa smiled her thanks, gave Abby one last hand squeeze before letting go, and disappeared with Octavia to go to the opposite side of the room. Refocusing his attention on Abby, she looked up, eyes going straight to his mug. “What’s in there?” She asked.

“Whiskey.”

She reached out for it as he held it out. She wasted no time in drowning the mug of its contents. Sighing after the last drop was gone, she handed the empty mug back to him. “Not strong enough,” she mumbled more to herself.

He took the mug from her, a sad smile finding its way onto his features. He couldn’t muster up a snarky response, his heart too broken. They made eye contact at that moment, an understanding passing between the two.

They both were putting up optimistic fronts for the kids, but inside they were just as devastated. As the time dragged on, it was harder to hold it up. Cracks were forming in the armor, the truth shining through.

Abby’s eyes lingered over to where Indra and Cage had walked back into their room. She asked him, “Do…Do you believe the Dusk Till Dawn Abductor theory?”

Again, he noted the small hint of hope laced in her voice. Without the Dusk Till Dawn Abductor, there was no lead. It was a start and a detour away from the dead end they were afraid they were going to run into.

“Do you want to know what I believe?” Marcus asked instead.

Abby looked back over to him, intrigued. For a quick second, his eyes flashed over to the Praimfaya sketch. Returning his gaze back to Abby, he told her, “I believe hope is everything.”

Recognition lit in her eyes and a small formed on her lips. It wasn’t the confirmation she was looking for, but she appreciated the support. He wasn’t going to give her false hope, as the other three cases involving the Dusk Till Dawn Abductor had gone cold. He wasn’t going to let that happen to Clarke.

Soon, everyone came back over to where the two stood. Indra crossed her arms as Marcus asked, “Anything?”

She shook her head, everyone visibly deflating. She immediately added, “But, this is just one of the places Clarke was supposed to be at. We can revisit the parking garage and the soccer field. There could be information we missed on the initial sweep.”

Indra pointed to Abby and Marcus, telling them, “You two are coming with me. We’ll go to the parking garage, since Abby may know something more about Clarke’s car and Marcus about the parking lot structure. You girls go with Cage over to the field and locker rooms. We’ll meet at the bridge that connects the trail behind campus around the subdivision to the fields.”

No one argued with the plan. The girls immediately began talking over rides as Cage talked over specifics with Indra. Marcus walked to stand by Abby, telling her, “It’s a good thing you’re with me.”

Looking up to him, she noticed the attempt at humor. She asked, “How so?”

He winked down to her as he held his coat open a tad, showing her the inside. Her eyes wandered over the coat until they landed on the pocket with the flask poking out. She smirked a tad, looking back up to his eyes, commenting, “A very good thing.”

He chuckled as he let his coat go as Indra snapped in the air, drawing the attention of the group. She announced, “If anything is found, call the other immediately. Be thorough but quick. Time is precious.” She nodded her head towards the entrance while looking at Abby and Marcus. “Let’s go.”

The two followed Indra out of the art exhibit. She told them, “Since the field and locker rooms are a bit bigger than the parking garage, we’re going to cover the trail behind the school in that subdivision.”

The two nodded as they reached Indra’s cop car. Indra told Marcus as she unlocked it, “Sit up front, in case Cage radios in.”

Casting a glance back at Abby, she nodded to him. She knew he wanted to keep her company and offer any kind of comfort he could, but she would be fine in the back seat. It would give her room to breathe and calm down before they entered the _scene_.

Climbing in the passenger seat, Marcus looked over to Indra as she started the car. He could see the frustration breaking through her chief façade. Feeling his gaze, she looked over to him. Understanding passed between them.

The Dusk Till Dawn Abductor case had been the only one Indra couldn’t solve. Every other case she had gotten while chief of police at Arkadia, she had solved in record time. Hell, she did it faster than any case Marcus had.

Well, she _did_ have a great precedent to look up to.

He joked, “Slow Monday, huh?”

She put the car in gear, looking back to the road. She shook her head as she turned their sirens on. She replied, “It’s only going to get faster.”

Marcus found himself not able to dispute.

+

“No cameras? _Seriously_?”

Indra couldn’t believe her ears. A cop had just informed Indra that there was no security footage available of the parking garage because there were no cameras. “We’re going to fix that issue as soon as we finish this case,” she mumbled more to herself than the officer.

The trio was currently in the parking garage, at Clarke’s car. The parking spot and the empty one next to Clarke’s car was taped off for investigation. Cops were searching around the scene, stopping students as they walked back for their parked cars, and updating Indra on their progress.

Marcus found the news just as disturbing. As Indra walked away to go talk to another officer who was currently interviewing a student, Marcus found Abby still tucked away in the corner.

Making his way over to her, he offered her a small smile as he leaned against the wall beside her. He asked, “What are you thinking?”

Her arms were crossed over her chest as she watched Clarke’s car. She said deadpan, “That it’s bullshit there aren’t any surveillance cameras in here.” Marcus laughed a bit, nodding in agreement. She added, “It’s also bullshit there wasn’t one, _one_ , person who saw Clarke in here.”

Marcus found that odd as well. He very well remembered all the stories he heard from his students of the chaos that ensued in the parking garages. For it to be deserted in the middle of the day? Very odd.

He shrugged a bit, crossing his own arms. “We’ll make something out of nothing,” he reassured her.

She snorted a bit, causing him to look at her from the corner of his eye. She asked, “How?”

“It’s like you said,” he explained, unfazed, “it’s weird no one saw her in here. That leaves us with zero video footage and zero witnesses. That’s unusual for a parking garage on a college campus in the middle of the day.”

Abby began to catch on and looked up to him. After a moment of silence, she looked back to Clarke’s car. A little smirk formed on her lips, saying, “Not bad for an ex-chief of police.”

He smirked back, watching Clarke’s car as well. Indra was currently circling it, looking for the smallest detail that was out of place. He replied, “It’s the tiniest details.”

Abby laughed a little in response. She said, “Clarke wasn’t kidding when she said that was your infamous advice.”

Looking down to her, he asked with a raised eyebrow, “Am I wrong?”

Abby noticed the frustrated face rub Indra did, pointing to the car and instructing cops. As she shook her head after finishing up, she began to make her way over to the two. Abby replied, “I guess we’ll see when we find Clarke, won’t we?”

Marcus didn’t respond verbally, but smirked back. Indra reached the two and asked Abby again, “You’re sure nothing is off about the car?”

Abby nodded and Indra sighed in frustration. Turning to look at Candy Apple, Indra shook her head. She said, “It’s unbelievable we have _nothing_ to go off concerning the environment. We caught them slip up in their usual kidnapping time, but they _still_ have the upper hand.”

“It’s like Marcus said,” Abby replied, “the fact that there is nothing is odd. It’s the university’s fault for not having cameras, but it’s an awful big coincidence no one was here to witness it. Whoever they are, they made sure no one was going to witness it.”

Indra nodded as she scanned the scene once more quickly. Marcus also pointed out, “Even more so on the other levels. Noise echoes in a structure like this, and I’m guessing Clarke wouldn’t have gone silently.”

Nodding again, Indra said, “Our abductor secluded the parking garage somehow. No one has that power besides construction workers, officers, or even faculty.” As if a lightbulb went off in her head, her head snapped to a group of officers. She decided, “I’ll have them check footage outside the school to see who entered the parking after nine who fit that description. Then, they’ll interview them. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.”

With conviction, Indra made her way over to the group of officers, ordering them to attention. The two watched as she began instructing them about her new approach. Marcus smirked a tad bit, commenting, “Something out of nothing.”

Abby shook her head and rolled her eyes as Indra finished up, the cops dispersing. Swinging her keys around her finger, she told them, “If we’re done here, we can go to the trail. It’s a long shot but you’d be surprised how much evidence gets discarded there.”

Marcus pushed himself off the wall, looking to Abby. She followed after him, both in tow after Indra. As they passed Candy Apple, Abby slowed down, eyes lingering on it. Unintentionally, her eyes drifted to the window decal Clarke added the moment she got Candy Apple. It read: Love and Light.

It was dedicated to her father.

Abby felt tears prickling at her eyes the same moment she felt a warm hand wrap around her shaking one. Looking away from the decal, she looked up into the concerned eyes of Marcus. He didn’t have to ask if she was alright, she could read it in his body language.

Taking a shaky, deep breath, she exhaled it slowly. Wiping at her eyes with her free hand, she gave him a tiny nod. He understood, gave her a hand small squeeze, and continued to follow Indra. He, however, did not let her hand go.

And for that, Abby was grateful.

+

Crisp, cold air rustled through the leaves of the trees. Some fell and floated towards the ground as others already on the ground were tossed around. The colors blended together, creating a heap of yellow, red, and green. The trail was always a scenic place to walk through, but it was truly a masterpiece of nature during fall.

Marcus knew the trail well. Besides living on it, he used to run it every morning before his shift began at the police force. Watching the sunrise while cooling down over the bridge was one his favorite hobbies. Indra called him a dork, he called it his inner artist getting lost in the beauty from the sun that reflected off the river. And, yes, when Marcus retorted with that, Indra shot back with, “So, a dork?”

The trio was currently walking the trail, going off track into the small woods on both sides to deepen their search. They were currently two houses down the trail, Indra searching on the left side, Marcus and Abby searching the right.

Twigs broke under their shoes as they went further off trail. Marcus led the way, searching the open area in front of him. Abby looked around the ground mostly. Silence passed between the two as the only sound was the nature they were surrounded by.

Sneaking a glance over his shoulder, he found her intently focused on the ground, determination in every head sweep she did while searching. Behind that, he did notice the fidgeting fingers. Looking back in front of him, he asked, “What’s your favorite memory of Clarke?”

The question caught Abby off guard. She looked up from the ground to his figure in front of her. Instead of answering his question, she asked, “Why?”

He shrugged, clasping his hands behind his back. He looked up in trees for a short moment before looking back in front of him. He explained, “Maybe the details in that memory can help us.”

“The tiny details?”

He heard the mocking tone hanging in the air after another twig broke under his shoe. Turning his head to peak at her over his shoulder again, he smirked slightly to her. “They are the most important,” he said.

“Mhmmm,” she answered, “how could I forget?”

He sensed sarcasm in her voice, but he didn’t comment on it. The real reason for asking her, besides the details that may reveal a hidden clue, was to distract her. He couldn’t completely get her mind off the fact her daughter was missing, but he could help ease some of the pain she was feeling by replacing it with nostalgia.

Watching her still, he saw her in deep thought. His eyes wandered over her face then, noticing the thinking crease above her left eyebrow. He watched as her lips pursed together for a short second then her nose curling the slightest bit. If they weren’t in their current situation, he would have allowed himself to think of how cute the tiny actions were.

Suddenly, Marcus felt something hit his foot, and he stumbled a bit. It drew Abby’s attention from the ground and her thoughts to him. He turned his face from hers then, feeling embarrassment flush his cheeks when he realized he was caught up in watching her that he had tripped over a root in the ground.

Either deciding to ignore it or having not seen it, Abby just said, “I have too many to pick just one.”

Moving a branch out of his way and holding it for Abby to pass, he said, “Then tell me the first one that came to your mind. There’s usually a reason why.”

“My God,” Abby mumbled under her breath as she walked by him, “you _are_ an artist.”

He let the branch go, letting it smack her arm slightly. He laughed as she shot him a glare. They walked side by side now as Marcus stuffed his hands in his pockets. After a moment of silence, he prompted, “Well?”

Abby looked up to the sky for a moment as Marcus turned his attention to her. She copied him, shoving her hands in red coat’s pockets. She answered, “The first one to pop into my mind was when Clarke was barely three years old.”

That intrigued Marcus. He waited for her to continue, noting the thought crease returned above her eyebrow. She elaborated, “We were in our living room. Jake and I were on the couch, watching TV while Clarke played on the floor with her toys. One of her favorite things to do was play dress up.”

A faint smile appeared on Abby’s lips as she got lost in the memory. She continued on, “Everything was fine. She was putting different clothes on from her trunk we had gotten her for her birthday. No matter what outfit she wore, she always wore this one pair of sunglasses.”

The smile got bigger as she shook her head. “All of the sudden she starts wailing. Like, full on crying and yelling. We rush down to where she’s sitting on the ground and ask her what’s wrong. She tells us she lost her favorite pair of sunglasses.”

Abby laughed then, causing Marcus to raise an eyebrow in response. She tells him, “Jake goes straight into father mode, and starts throwing things out of her dress up trunk, trying to find them. He got through the whole trunk and he didn’t find them.”

He saw the sinister glimmer in her eyes before she continued. “Now, he starts freaking out too. He can’t find the one thing that will stop Clarke from crying. I hadn’t moved during the whole search, watching the chaos unfold. He asked why I haven’t looked.”

She looked up to Marcus, a small smirk curling up her lips. She said, “I told him it was because I knew where they were. I didn’t tell him though, and after a few moments of just listening to Clarke cry, he asked where they are. All I did was tap my temple. I guess you could say he wasn’t that happy with that answer.”

Abby chuckled a bit, her smirk turning into a full out grin. “He then turns Clarke to face him, telling her that he’ll find her sunglasses and that everything will be okay. He’s looking over to me as he says this but I just tapped my temple again; but, I let my eyes wander over to Clarke. Then, it finally hits him.”

Marcus smiled when he heard Abby try to hold a laugh back. She shook her head, saying, “They were propped up on her head the whole time. Instead of saying anything else to her, he just flicked them down over her eyes. She immediately stops crying. It’s quiet for a moment as we look to each other, then Clarke is squealing and grabbing onto them.”

Marcus smiled more, making eye contact as Abby looked over to him. He commented, “That’s a cute memory. Clarke definitely isn’t that oblivious now-a-days.”

Abby laughed again as she looked out in front of them, searching still. She asked, “Any tiny details you caught onto in that memory?”

She was going to never let him leave that advice down. Clarke never did either, always mocking him about it whether it be about art or the mug he used. Like mother, like daughter.

“Well,” he began, “I saw a problem that was solved in the end. More specifically, something was lost and it was found.”

It fell silent, Abby stopping in her tracks. Marcus stopped as well, a few steps in front of her. He was watching her but she was staring at the ground. He said nothing, he didn’t have to. His comment was enough.

He watches as he sees her hands curl and uncurl in her coat pockets. He sees her body begin to twitch the slightest bit. He hears her breathing get deeper and slower. He notices each breath comes out shakier than the last. He watches as the breaking mother underneath the armor of a strong doctor comes crashing to the surface.

He stepped a bit closer to her, drawing her eyes to his. Hers are filled with tears and he noticed the anguish in her eyes and hoped his condolences shined through his. He told her, “I know how hard…taking all this in is, and I think you’re acting far braver than I would be if my mug went missing.”

Abby laughed a bit, but it came out choked. Marcus watched as a tear escapes, running down her cheek. He doesn’t reach out to wipe it away, ignoring the fact his hand twitched towards her. He said, “I give you a lot of credit for putting on a smile and providing the optimism to the kids.”

She tried to blink away more tears, failing as another ran down the opposite cheek. She struggled to maintain eye contact, but Marcus waited until she can look him in the eyes again. He continued, “But you’re also embracing the harsh truth of reality. Clarke is missing. It’s not a simple lost and found case like her sunglasses. We’re possibly talking about an abductor that hasn’t been caught in over a year. That’s terrifying.”

Abby broke down a bit more, tears rolling down her cheeks one after the other. His hand twitched in his pocket again, his heart twisting in pain as he watched her break before him. He whispered, “I’m not telling you this to beat down your optimism or shatter your hope. I want to find Clarke; I know we will find Clarke. I just want you to know that it’s okay if you’re upset about it. You don’t have to act like a super mom all the time. You can cry, you can throw things, you can yell in frustration. I just don’t want to see you build it up inside until it destroys you. I’ve seen it too many times to let it happen to you.”

In the back of Marcus’ mind, memories of families whose kids went missing came rushing to him. He remembered watching mothers fall apart, fathers soon following, and siblings collapsing in the arms of their broken parents. The timeline for each was different but eventually their hope shattered as the bottle collecting their misery finally overflowed and burst. The end result was never pretty.

Three specific instances stuck out in his mind. When Jasper first went missing, his parents weren’t that bothered by it. They told the officers sometimes Jasper would disappear after events such as the game to calm down. Soon, when a week turned into two weeks and two weeks turned three, they began to panic. Jasper’s mom broke down into hysterics when the case hit its dead end.

When Monty went missing, his parents were already on alert. They knew it was odd for Monty to just disappear without contact, even with being best friends with Jasper. He would always let his parents know, in return, they would know Jasper would be out with him. That’s what Jasper’s parents held on to, letting it be their shield for so long, until reality beat it down.

Monty’s parents had the innocence of hoping Monty’s silence was just because he secluded himself for his midterms. Sometimes when he got carried away in the library, he would forget to check in; eventually, he would though. When the same timeline with Jasper happened with Monty, reality came crashing down on his parents that Monty wasn’t coming back.

Harper’s parents were slightly different than Monty’s and Jasper’s. They didn’t sit back in the sense of relying on old experiences of absence to ease their worries. Just like Harper, they jumped into the search determined. They hung up posters, offered a reward, and actively searched for weeks. When every lead turned them into a dead end, they kept their positive attitude alive, telling the officers something will turn up. When it came to the time where nothing was turning up for weeks, reality began to shake their positive outlook on finding their daughter.

Abby looked into his eyes, seeing the flashes of the memories. She offered him a small smile and told him, “Thank you, Marcus. I appreciate it.”

He smiled back, seeing the genuine appreciation in her expression. He nodded and replied, “Always.”

Sniffling and wiping at her tears, she let humor leak its way back into the conversation by asking, “You’re still willing to burden the load of emotions I’m known to pour out?”

Marcus chuckled, smile growing. He replied, “I think when I agreed to handle it the night of the art exhibit, I signed up for that role for a long time.”

She smiled back, Marcus happily noting that it was one of first genuine smiles of the day. It wasn’t one she plastered on for the kids, Indra, Cage, or even him. He saw the genuine smile when talking about Clarke and Jake, and it was here again with him. It made him happy.

Interrupting the peace, Marcus’ phone went off. Pulling it from his pocket, he answered, “Hello?”

It was Indra as she skipped greetings and told him, “Get back to the trail.”

That peaked Marcus’ interest. “Did you find something?”

Abby looked from the tree line back over to him, raising an eyebrow at him. Indra replied, “Not yet, but we might. Just get back here.”

She hung up after that and Marcus pulled the phone away from his ear. Putting it back in his pocket, he looked over to Abby, explaining, “Indra wants us to come back.”

“Did she find something?” Abby couldn’t keep the hope out of her voice.

Marcus shrugged and began walking back, Abby turning to keep in step with him. He replied, “She said we might.”

Furrowing her eyebrows at that, Abby asked, “What does that even mean?”

Moving the same branch from before out of their way, Marcus held it back for her again. As she walked by, Marcus told her, “Back when we worked together, that usually meant she found something that wasn’t direct evidence to the case, but it would lead you to another piece of evidence that was directly related to the case.”

Abby took that information in as Marcus caught back up to her. Pondering on it, she asked, “So, kind of like someone who steps forward with information?”

“Exactly.”

Abby wondered who or what Indra could have come across. She knew from the way Indra showcased the trail as an important scene to investigate, it would be well populated. More so with the fact it connected campus to the fields. It was a direct link between where Clarke was and where she was supposed to be.

When the two finally made their way back to the trail, they were perplexed when they saw Indra standing with Bellamy and Murphy. Walking up to them, the three stopped talking and turned their attention to them.

Immediately, sympathetic expressions appeared on the boys’ faces when they locked eye contact with Abby. Bellamy told her, “Dr. Griffin, I’m so sorry. Indra just informed us about Clarke.”

Abby offered a grateful smile back, replying, “It’s okay, Bellamy.”

His expression turned determined as his shoulders straightened. He told her, “We’ll do everything we can to help find Clarke.”

Murphy nodded beside him, adding, “We’ll let you know if we find anything.”

Abby smiled more, looking between the two. “Thank you,” she sincerely told them. Between them, the girls, Indra and Cage, and Marcus, Abby felt her hopes surging. She knew they could find Clarke if they all worked together.

Indra nodded, a small smile gracing her own lips. She asked, “And you’re sure nothing was off on the trail today?”

Bellamy shook his head. He replied, “We run it every day at the same time, so if anything changes or comes up, we’ll make sure to let you know.”

“We appreciate it,” Indra said. She pulled her radio out, telling them, “Then you’re free to go.”

The boys gave Abby another smile of comfort before running past them. Marcus watched them run until they were out of sight. When he looked back to Indra, she told them, “I’m going to update Cage on those two. I’ll let him know they’ll be here every day and if anything is suspicious, they’ll let us know. Go on ahead, I’ll catch up in a minute.”

With that, she walked away, crackling her radio to life and calling out Cage’s name. The two watched her walk off, until Marcus nudged Abby, drawing her attention to him. He nodded down the trail and said, “Let’s go.”

Abby followed next to him, watching the trees above mix in with the blue sky. It was quiet as they walked down the trail to the next house section. Breaking the silence as they came to a stop in the next section, Abby said, “It’s really nice how eager everyone is to help find Clarke.”

Marcus looked down to her, his lips turning up into a smile. He told her, “Clarke would do the same if it were any of us.”

Abby nodded in agreement as she looked up to the sky again. Her own smile formed as she said, “It’s just, seeing everyone come together and drop everything else to find her, it’s nice.”

Marcus smiled more, watching her gaze up at the sky. He told her, “Clarke has that effect on people.”

“Effect?”

“She’s brings people together, as a team, and drives them towards a common goal,” he said.

Abby smiled more, closing her eyes now. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out slow. Opening her eyes, she looked back to Marcus, saying, “Lexa always did tell me she believed Clarke was going to be a captain next year.”

Marcus felt his lips tug up more in response. He said, “And we’ll make sure that happens when we find her.”

Abby didn’t respond, just nodded. Silence passed between them until they heard footsteps crunching in the leaves. Looking behind them, they saw Indra approaching. She informed them as she reached them, “Told Cage about Bellamy and Murphy. They found nothing on their search so far.”

“Well,” Marcus responded, “let’s continue looking and try to find something.”

The three split up, Indra going towards the woods on the river side and Marcus and Abby going to the woods on the house side. This time, however, Abby lead the way, Marcus trailing behind her. He didn’t mind though, he figured it was in the Griffin women’s blood to lead.

+

“So, we found nothing?”

Marcus and Abby looked to each other before looking back to Indra. They both shook their head. Indra sighed and grabbed her radio, nodding down the trail. “Let’s get back to the car and head back to the police station. There’s nothing more we can do today.”

Abby felt panic spread at those words but Marcus grabbed onto her shoulder, squeezing it slightly as he guided her behind Indra. The gesture of comfort worked, soothing her worry.

When they got back to the car, Indra had informed Cage of their empty search. He reported back the same. Looking in the rearview mirror, Marcus saw Abby’s hands playing with each other nervously. No matter how many memories he brought forth, gestures of comfort he offered, or positive incentives, nothing would ever erase all her worry besides finding Clarke.

The trio pulled up into the police station, the other group gathered outside. Exiting the car, they met up with the other group. They fell silent as Indra looked around the group. She sighed, frustrated, and told them, “No one found anything today, that’s fine. The first day or two are always the most hectic and we usually miss something. We’ll call it quits today on the search and pick it up again tomorrow.”

Everyone nodded and Indra put her hands on her hips. She informed them, “We should get fingerprint information off the phone and notes by tomorrow afternoon. When we do, I’ll contact each of you to come down if you’re not busy. I get wanting to help nonstop, but keeping your normal schedule, especially you girls, will help us locate anything out of the ordinary. Understood?”

The girls nodded as did Marcus and Abby. Indra offered them a small smile, saying, “We have momentum right now and we’re going to use that to our advantage, but we need to be smart about it. Keep your eyes on alert, but don’t exhaust yourself with searching. Everything will turn up, we _will_ find Clarke.”

“Hell yeah we will!” Raven shouted, arms wrapping around Lexa’s and Gaia’s shoulders. Fire burned in her eyes, making Abby smile.

Indra grinned more in response and said, “Then it’s settled. We’ll call you tomorrow when the results are in.”

Everyone nodded and the two officers walked into the police station to continue briefing the case. The girls turned to the two adults and Raven grinned bigger. “We _will_ find Clarke. I promise, Abby,” she told her.

Abby grinned more and accepted the hug Raven gave her after she finished talking. Pulling back, Abby said, “Thank you, Raven. I know we will.”

All the other girls hugged Abby, Lexa being last. She gave her an extra squeeze, Abby holding her close for a second longer. When they pulled apart, Abby reached up and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. She whispered to Lexa, tears in her own eyes, “We will.”

“We will,” Lexa whispered back, smiling. They gave each other another quick hug before the girls finally left to go back to their apartments.

Marcus stood in the background, watching the scene. Abby wiped at her eyes, looking to him. “Sorry,” she half chuckled out.

He smiled, shaking his head. “Don’t be sorry,” he said, “I understand.”

Abby knew he did, and for that she was grateful. She just felt bad he would have to burden her emotions the worst.

“Here,” he said, pulling a piece out. He took a pen out as well, scribbling his number down. He handed it to her, saying, “This is my cell number. The other number was my office phone at college. Call if you need anything. _Anything_.”

Abby took it, their fingers brushing the slightest. Her eyes stayed trained on the piece of paper as their contact faded. She looked up to him and said, “Thank you.”

“Always,” he said. He smiled a bit and added, “I still have your cell number from when we talked about the organizations. I’ll just program it into my phone.”

“Sounds good,” she said, stuffing the piece of paper into her coat pocket.

“But I’m serious,” Marcus told her. “If you need anything, call me. You’re not bothering me, ever. I promise.”

She smiled up to him, gratitude shining through her eyes. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, hand curling around the paper that contained his phone number. “I will,” she said, “I promise.”

His smiled twitched up a tiny bit further, but enough for Abby to notice. He shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to go to his car. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

“See you tomorrow, _Professor_ Kane,” she replied, her smile turning into a smirk.

His did the same as he looked over his shoulder to her. A mischievous glint glittered in her eyes, as did little specks of gratitude. Turning away from her, and walking to his car, he called out to her, “See you tomorrow, _Dr._ Griffin."


End file.
